Posted by By Eugene Agha on
Ports Authority Police Command yesterday said it has recovered a container load of fire arms suspected to have been illegally imported into the country through the Tincan Island Port in Lagos.
Ports Authority Police Command yesterday said it has recovered a container load of fire arms suspected to have been illegally imported into the country through the Tincan Island Port in Lagos.
This came just as the police also recovered a brand new Kia Rio Saloon car belonging to Dana Motors Nigeria Limited, which was stolen at a gun-point. The vehicle was said to have been recovered from one Sule Ogundoyi inside Roro Ports.
The container, which was said to have been duly cleared by customs officials, was allegedly accosted outside the ports area by some policemen from the Ports Police Command.
Briefing newsmen on the arrest of the container and the subsequent recovery of the Kia Rio car, the Commissioner of Police, Ports Authority Police Command, Mr. Vincent Ojo, said the container and its content were recovered at the bonded terminals while the car was recovered inside Roro Ports, Tincan Island in Lagos,
The police commissioner, however, did not reveal the actual identities of those suspected to be behind the illegally imported fire arms.
Explaining how the container was recovered, he said, the command recently got an intelligence report about the activities of some groups of people who have no business to do inside the ports area.
During the cause of investigations, Ojo said his men from the surveillance unit stumbled on information about the movement of certain containers which had been expressly cleared.
Upon receipt of the information, the police commissioner said a team of police detectives were detailed to monitor the movement of all containers intended to be cleared.
The tactics, according to him, later paid off as a container was sited at the bonded terminal of the port.
''By the time the container was opened one Smith and Wilson revolver, a Clock Safe action pistol model 695 with 20 rounds of five classical ammunition, five packs of 20 rounds of ammunition, five packs of 20 rounds of cartridges, three empty magazine.
10 packs of 20 rounds of 9mm ammunition, one pistol holster, one pack of 20 rounds of black ammunition, 100 rounds of 2mm, 100 rounds of 38 mm, 50 rounds of W 38 special mode pistol and one automatic rifles were recovered,'' he said
He further stated that certain security lapses were noticed during his familiarization tour of police formations attached to the Ports Authority Command.
According to him, the visit had enabled him to see that the problem of security in the ports may be broadly categorized into four which according to him, includes the porosity of the ports with its attendant security implications, the closeness of some neighboring communities to the ports area, large number of people who have no business being inside the ports and bad operational tools.
Though, some of these problems, according to him, has been brought before the Managing Director (MD), Nigerian Ports Authority, Chief Adebayo Sarumi, he added that for aggressive patrol of the ports, certain security measures have been considered.
He said he had directed that all the illegal markets near the ports be dismantled and that the areas be raided constantly to keep the activities of touting and wharf ratting at bay.
To keep touts permanently away from the sea ports, Ojo stated that he had also directed all Area Commanders and their Divisional Police Officers (DPO) to limit the number of people entering the ports, while access control would be vigorously enforced.
''In one of our meeting with the MD of the Nigerian Ports Authority I recommended that close circuit television be installed in the ports to help in ensuring constant surveillance of the ports. On this, I have the assurance of the Managing Director