Ghana: Large amount of ammunitions bound for Nigeria seized
By Shout Africa Nigeria correspondent- Chinyere Ogbonna – Ghanaian police personnel on Tuesday January 11, 2012 seized a large amount of arms and ammunition allegedly bound for Nigeria.
Arms seized in Ghana
The arms and ammunition, including hordes of AAA cartridges, ten pomp-action guns and twenty double-barrelled guns, were found in a false compartment under the flour plate of the truck.
Addressing newsmen after the seizure on Tuesday evening in Accra Ghana, the Regional Police Commander,Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rose Atinga Bio, said she had received a call from an informant around 15:00 GMT (4.00pm Nigerian time) that a truck was off loading what could be smuggled goods in a house at Achimota, a suburb of the capital.
According to her, “Upon reaching there, my men only saw an empty truck branded in coca-cola trade-mark on the compound”.
But after thorough scrutiny, the policemen realised that the flour plate had just been welded at some specific points, raising their suspicion that there could be something unusual under the plate.
The police team she said ordered the driver to open the compartment and large caches of arms and ammunition were seen concealed under the flour plate.
Bio said Kwadwo Baffoe, a Ghanaian, claimed ownership of the cargo, while two other Ghanaians, Kofi Aboagye and Kwasi Nkrumah, had also been apprehended.
Also arrested were two Nigerians, Sandy Eze from Anambra State and Amosu Taiwo from Ogun State, the police officer said.
The owner admitted to the police that the arms were being transported to Nigeria in the truck with registration number XA 761-YAB.
Bio said “this is the first of its kind since 2009 when I took charge of the region. We are very much alert, especially because this year is an election year, and so we will protect the nation with the force at our disposal”.
