Presently, in Nigeria, fears are mounting in several quaters over media reports of arms build-up in the country. These fears became more pronounced when it was observed that this arms build-up was happening in the wrong places and they are in the wrong hands, a pointer to the fact that they are for the wrong purposes. Already, the trend has crept to the front burner of issues in the country as it is considered to be a potent threat to the current democratic dispensation as many believe they are being stock-piled to prosecute the forthcoming general elections. As a matter of fact, according to some observers, it is even a foreboding to the continued existence of Nigeria as a country. Early last month, the National Task Force Combating Illegal importation of Goods, Arms, Ammunition and Light Weapons (NATFORCE) brought to the nation’s attention the arrival of a vessel at Onne Port, Rivers State, which is suspected to be carrying arms, ammunitions, light weapons and other contraband goods.
The body, which acted on a tip-off, said it had good reasons to believe that the vessel may be laden with contraband goods, particularly small arms, ammunitions and light weapons. Consequently, it informed the Department of Customs and Excise and ordered NATFORCE office in the state to carry out a thorough examination of the vessel.
Between January and October 2010, the Ogun State Police Command recovered a total number of 124 arms and 5,364 ammunition.
Last Wednesday, several newspapers reported the interception by men of the Nigerian Customs Service of 13 containers loaded with arms and ammunition at the Lagos Ports Complex.
The containers, which were off-loaded at the AP Moller Terminal, were said to have been shipped from Iran and contained various types of grenades, rocket launchers, bombs, assault rifles and heavy machine guns.
It was gathered that attention was drawn to the containers when the clearing agent reportedly pledged to pay any amount to have them transferred from the port to an off-dock terminal, preferring to have the containers screened outside the ports.The items of war, which were manufactured in 2008, could wipe out cities in a matter of minutes according to security experts.
But Israel has added a new twist to the entire story, saying the weapons belong to the Palestinian military group, Hamas, and were headed for the Gaza Strip. It, however, did not provide proof to support these claims.
Speaking during the inspection of the arms at Apapa Port, National Security Adviser, Gen. Andrew Azazi, said government was alarmed at the volume of the arms import and that no stone would be left unturned to get to the bottom of the matter.
Read More:http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/features/12997-arms-build-up-an-ominous-sign
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