The Lagos State Police Command has intercepted 47 sacks of military camouflage uniforms and 80 cartons of suspected illicit substances during an intelligence-led operation in the Surulere area of the state.
Speaking at the command headquarters in Ikeja on Tuesday, the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, disclosed that three suspects were arrested in connection with the recovery.
The suspects, identified as Chinedu David (29), Ezeagwu Chukwuma (38), and Ifeanyi Ogbeanyi (45), were apprehended by operatives of the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit on Saturday night.
According to the police commissioner, the suspects were arrested with an unregistered MAN diesel truck loaded with military camouflage uniforms and cartons of substances believed to be illicit drugs.
“Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command attached to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, acting on intelligence-led operations, recorded a major breakthrough with the arrest of three suspects. The operation further led to the recovery of one unregistered MAN diesel truck loaded with 47 sacks containing military camouflage uniforms and 80 cartons of drugs suspected to be illicit substances,” Tijani said.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the truck was allegedly transporting the military uniforms to Nigeria’s South-East region.
The commissioner stated that investigations were ongoing to determine the source of the uniforms and suspected drugs, identify their intended recipients, and uncover other individuals connected to the operation.
He also assured residents that the recovery did not pose an immediate threat to Lagos, noting that the consignment was being moved out of the state.
“It does not pose any form of threat to Lagos State. They were moving out of the state, but with the trend of events in the country where we have seen bandits wear military uniforms, nobody can tell what the intention was,” he said.
A police officer involved in the investigation revealed that the truck driver and his assistant were initially arrested before two additional suspects linked to the consignment were identified and taken into custody.
The latest recovery comes amid growing concerns over the increasing use of military-grade uniforms by criminal groups across the country.
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