CoverHeadlinesNews Issues of arms trafficking will not be taken lightly – NDLEA By maritimemag March 6, 2020 ShareTweet 0 160331-N-KL526-359 ARABIAN SEA (March 31, 2016) A cache of weapons is assembled on the deck of the guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107). The weapons were seized from a stateless dhow which was intercepted by the Coastal Patrol ship USS Sirocco (PC 6) on March 28. The illicit cargo included 1,500 AK-47s, 200 RPG launchers, and 21 .50 caliber machine guns. Gravely supported the seizure following the discovery of the weapons by Siroccos boarding team. This seizure was the third time in recent weeks international naval forces operating in the waters of the Arabian Sea seized a shipment of illicit arms which the United States assessed originated in Iran and was likely bound for Houthi insurgents in Yemen. The weapons are now in U.S. custody awaiting final disposition. (U.S. Navy Photo/Released) —- Arrests arms dealers selling ammunition for N500 The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has vowed not to take issues of arms trafficking lightly. The Bauchi State Commander, NDLEA, Segun Oke reiterated this in a statement by the spokesperson for the anti-narcotic agency, Jonah Achema on two suspects Dung Rwang and Dachollum Yohanna, dealing in arms and ammunition. The suspects were arrested with 1,360 rounds of live ammunition along the Bauchi-Jos Road by operatives of the Bauchi State Command of the NDLEA on patrol. The statement explained that the suspects boarded a commercial car from Numa, Adamawa State, and were heading for Jos, Plateau State, where they wanted to sell the ammunition, including one AK-47 magazine. The weapons were reportedly concealed in sacks and kept in the boot of the vehicle. The spokesperson said the suspects, who were among the seven passengers in the car, owned up to the crime. He said, “The NDLEA has intercepted 1,360 rounds of live ammunition of 7.6mm calibre during a motorised patrol along the Bauchi-Jos Road. The ammunition was being conveyed to Jos, Plateau State, by a commercial Vectra car, which was conveying seven passengers. One AK-47 magazine was also found in the vehicle. “Upon interrogation, two of the passengers, Dung Rwang and Dachollum Yohanna, admitted ownership of the ammunition and the magazine, which they neatly concealed in two sacks and kept in the boot of the vehicle. They were conveying the consignment from Numa in Adamawa State to certain buyers in Plateau State. The suspects have been unable to produce any official permit for the items.” Achema stated that the suspects confessed that they had been into illegal arms dealing for some time, selling a piece of ammunition “for N500 only.” “It is a business for us. Things are really hard in this country and we need to sell these items so that we can put food on the table for our families,” one of the suspects, Yohanna, was quoted to have said. The Bauchi State Commander, NDLEA, Segun Oke, said the suspects and the exhibits would be handed over to the state police command for further investigation adding that the origin and the destination of the ammunition are both areas with rampant misuse of weapons. © 2020, maritimemag. All rights reserved.
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