By Florencemary Nwabueze
Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command's Anti-Kidnapping Unit have arrested three suspects and seized a truckload of military camouflage uniforms alongside suspected illicit substances in a major intelligence-led operation.
The suspects, identified as Chinedu David, 29; Ezeagwu Chukwuma, 38; and Ifeanyi Ogbeanyi, 45, were apprehended in the early hours of Saturday in the Surulere area of Lagos State.
Addressing journalists at the command headquarters in Ikeja on Monday, the state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, disclosed that the operation resulted in the recovery of one unregistered MAN diesel truck loaded with 47 sacks containing military camouflage uniforms and 80 cartons of drugs suspected to be illegal substances.
Preliminary investigations suggest the truck was being used to transport the military uniforms to the Eastern part of the country.
"We also recovered different types of drugs which were being moved together with the sacks containing the military camouflage. The case is still under investigation and we are trying to unravel the brains behind all these." Tijani stated.
The Commissioner said that the development posed an immediate threat to residents of the state, noting that the consignment was being moved out of Lagos. However, he expressed concern over the trend.
"It does not pose any form of threat to Lagos State. They were moving out of the state, but you know, with the trend of events in the country where we have seen bandits wear military uniforms, who knows what they want to do with this? Nobody could tell," he said.
Authorities are working to determine the source, ownership, and intended recipients of the recovered items, as well as establish the full extent of the suspects' involvement and identify other persons connected to the criminal operation.
The recovery comes amid growing concerns over the proliferation of military-grade uniforms among criminal elements across the country, with security agencies intensifying efforts to curb the trend.