The Lagos State Police Command has recovered 47 sacks of military camouflage uniforms and 80 cartons of substances suspected to be illicit drugs following an intelligence-driven operation in Surulere, leading to the arrest of three suspects.
Speaking at the command headquarters in Ikeja on Tuesday, the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, said operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit carried out the operation on Saturday night after acting on credible intelligence.
According to the police chief, the suspects identified as Chinedu David, 29, Ezeagwu Chukwuma, 38, and Ifeanyi Ogbeanyi, 45, were apprehended while transporting the items in an unregistered MAN diesel truck.
Tijani disclosed that the vehicle was loaded with 47 sacks containing military camouflage uniforms alongside 80 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 breakthrough with the arrest of three suspects,” the commissioner said while presenting the recovered items to journalists.
Preliminary findings, he revealed, indicated that the truck was conveying the military uniforms to Nigeria’s South-East region before police operatives intercepted it.
The commissioner noted that investigations had been intensified to uncover the origin of the uniforms and the suspected drugs, as well as identify the intended recipients and other individuals linked to the operation.
“Investigation is ongoing to determine the source, ownership, and intended recipients of the recovered items, as well as establish the extent of the suspects’ involvement and identify other persons connected with the criminal act,” he stated.
Tijani, however, sought to reassure residents that the intercepted consignment posed no immediate threat to Lagos State, explaining that the items were not intended for distribution within the state.
He added that the seizure was significant given increasing concerns about the use of military-style uniforms by criminal groups across the country.
“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 bandits have been seen wearing military uniforms, nobody can tell what the intention was,” he said.
A police source familiar with the investigation told journalists that the truck driver and his assistant were initially arrested during the operation.
The source added that two additional suspects were later apprehended after they reportedly visited a police station in Surulere to claim ownership of the recovered exhibits.
The latest recovery comes amid heightened security concerns over the circulation of military-grade uniforms among criminal elements, a development security agencies have repeatedly warned could aid impersonation and other criminal activities.
