Whereas two clearing agents who were arrested in connection with the importation of 440 pump action rifles in May 2017 are still inside Kirikiri Prisons in Lagos without being charged, efforts to get clarifications from the Customs PRO, Mr. Attah, over the weekend failed.
In an enquiry sent as sms to his phone Vis; “Good evening sir, this is the publisher of Business Hilights. We humbly need clarifications on why arms importers and accomplices arrest since May are yet to be charged while others after them are in court. I have been calling and my reporter is working on the story for publication soonest. Thanks”.
No reply was received since weekend till Monday evening on this request.
The need for the clarification stemmed from intelligence gathered from Tin Can Island Port that the case is yet to be taken to court, even though a similar import of 660 rifles which happened weeks after is currently being tried at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
A clerk at the Tin Can Island Container Terminal (TICT) who was also accused of complicity was however interrogated and released.
Business Hilights gathered that the 20-foot container with identification number GESU2555208, which arrived the Tin Can Island Container Terminal on board MV Bella Shuttle, in which the arms were concealed was actually listed for examination, contrary to earlier reports.
The container of 1, 100 guns was declared as wash hand basin and water closets, but was on examination discovered to contain a total of 1, 100 pieces of pump action rifles of different configurations.
They include 600 pieces of Jojef Magnum black pump action, 300 pieces of the Jojef Magnum silver colour of the gun and 200 pieces of the Jojef Magnum plastic single barrel hunting pump action guns, bringing to a total of 1, 100 pieces.
The consignment was said to have been intercepted and seized on the 6th of September, 2017, when operatives of the Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU) on routine monitoring at the terminals discovered the 20-foot container at an obscure location.
