Police Arrests Clearing Agent As Container Laden With Weapons Disappears

The Lagos State Police command, yesterday, arrested an agent alleged to have cleared a 20-foot container loaded with military camouflage uniforms and other suspected dangerous weapons that disappeared at the Tin Can Terminal in Apapa, last Friday. Though it was not clear whether the agent gave himself up to the police or not, his arrest came after the Commissioner of Police, Lagos Ports Command, Celestine Okoye, gave detectives 24 hours to arrest those behind the disappearance of the container.

Sources hinted that the arrest of the agent has sent strong signals to port officials involved in the disappearance of the container with top officers claiming the container did not disappear as alleged by the police. According to Vanguard, it was however, learned that detectives were making frantic efforts to lure them to disclose the exact location of the missing container.

Confirming the development, CP Okoye, said it was a 20-foot container and assured that as soon as his men were able to locate the container’s whereabouts, they would inform the public. A container loaded with military camouflage uniforms and other dangerous items passed through the terminal operation at the Port, last Friday but all efforts to stop it by police detectives failed.

It was gathered that before the container disappeared from the port, policemen informed the Commissioner and he swiftly gave directives through a letter, that it should not be cleared pending thorough checks. However, according to sources, after receiving the letter, Port officials at the terminal allegedly cleared the container claiming that they contacted the Marine Police before clearing the container, and alleging that the container had left the Port before they received the letter from Police.

Vanguard revealed that the story took another dimension after Okoye reportedly contacted his counterpart at the Marine who denied knowledge of the clearance. Based on this development, sources said the CP directed his men to get all facts relating to the container including the identity of the importer and all those involved in the illegal clearance within 24 hours. His directive paid off with the arrest of the agent that cleared the container whom sources said, has made useful statement to the police while the search for others involved in the deal continues.