Task Force Bust Arm Trafficking Syndicate

Operatives of the Task Force currently battling criminals on Nigerian waters were recently treated to a startling revelation in Lagos.

Michael, one of the suspects arrested by the Task Force, revealed that his syndicate which specialises in trafficking of arms and hijacking of Nigeria bound cargoes, hired a vessel to perpetrate the crime.

Michael, who is also referred to as Logistics Officers among the crew on board MV NAOMI CORLET, betrayed no emotion while giving details of his syndicate’s escapades.

He said the vessel was hired in Cameroun for a period of six months to enable his gang maximise its use for their operation. He specifically named one Charles as the person in charge of facilitating the vessel.

According to him,Charles is a well connected man with influence among top officials of the Federal Government including a member of House of Representatives and a prominent legal practitioner.

He said: “The vessel anchors at Calabar from where we normally take off and move to Badagry where we have a depot of sorts. We off-load our arms at Badagry and return to the waters for hijacking operation. It is through Badagry that arms enter Nigeria.

“There are other locations across the country where arms are kept. What I am saying is that only about 20 percent of the arms stay in Lagos. Others are scattered in different parts of the country, especially the Niger Delta.”

Michael said he had participated in both hijacking and arms trafficking on four occasions with each operation fetching him what he referred to as good money. He said he was going for another operation in Cotonou when the long arm of the law caught him and other members of his gang.

This perhaps could not have happened had the vessel not developed a mechanical fault which forced it to a halt. A member of the gang then called, through a mobile phone, someone at Apapa, who could fix the problem. The person brought a power generating set to the spot but got the shock of his life when he entered the vessel and saw traces of hard drugs.

According to a source in the Task Force, “the person became suspicious, as members of the gang were at first reluctant to allow him into the vessel. They eventually allowed him because they badly needed his service.

“So,when the person saw the traces of cocaine inside the vessel he kept quiet until he also stumbled on some cartridges. Because of the fear that they might harm him and throw him into the sea, he did not show sign of shock.

“But he tricked them by telling them that the generator could not function and he wanted to return to Apapa to bring a certain component. This was what helped him out of the place. When he got to Apapa he contacted somebody who alerted us.”

The gang was eagerly waiting for the engineer when they suddenly through their monitor discovered that they were surrounded by members of the Task Force. This situation brought apprehension to them and forced them to throw some boxes of arms in the vessel into the sea.

Michael further said: “I was apprehended on 13 October, 2012 in a vessel named Naomi Corlet which we wanted to use to hijack a vessel carrying AGO on the high seas. The person who chartered the vessel is Mr Charles.

“When we were apprehended by security personnel some ammunition and gallons of petrol were found on board the vessel. Apart from our sponsors, Charles and Ademola, other buyers of the stolen products are Ebere, I.K and Abedo,” he confessed.

—Oluwole Adeboye