Police stop truck with military uniforms and drugs, arrest four in Lagos

The Lagos State Police has arrested four people after stopping a truck loaded with bags of military uniforms and cartons of suspected hard drugs. The truck was allegedly on its way from Lagos to the South-east.

The Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai, shared this news on Tuesday during a press briefing at the command headquarters in Ikeja. He spoke about the command's key achievements over the last two weeks.

Mr Fatai said that the State Tactical Squad stopped the truck on Saturday night. They acted on intelligence reports that the items were being moved out of Lagos via the Lekki-Epe road.

He explained that the truck was carrying many sacks with military camouflage uniforms and various types of drugs. "These bags you are seeing here contain military camouflage. We received information and swung into action. The vehicle carrying the sacks was intercepted while leaving Lagos State, and those with it were arrested," he stated.

The police commissioner mentioned that four suspects are in custody now. He added that they are still working to find others linked to the shipment.

He also said that early investigations show the items were going to the eastern part of Nigeria. However, they are still figuring out where exactly it was headed and how it was meant to be used. "From the information available to us, the items were being taken somewhere in the East. We are still investigating to unravel those behind it," he said.

This incident follows a recent seizure by the Nigeria Customs Service. They stopped a luxury bus carrying military uniforms and illegal drugs along the Sagamu-Ore-Benin Expressway. Customs officials noted that this vehicle was also heading to the South-east. It had military clothing and drugs hidden in cartons and secret compartments, raising new worries among security agencies about the movement of military uniforms outside proper channels.

When asked if the seized items were a security threat in Lagos, Mr Fatai said there was no evidence that the uniforms were meant for use in the state. But he expressed worry about the potential use of military camouflage by criminals in other areas of the country.

"With the trend of events across the country, especially in areas hit by banditry and other violent crimes, we have seen criminals wearing military uniforms. We do not yet know what these uniforms were meant for, and that is why the investigation is ongoing," he said.