The Lagos State Police Command said on Tuesday that it has smashed a smuggling syndicate moving military camouflage uniforms and illicit drugs out of the state.
The police later arrested four suspects in a major intelligence-led operation.l in connection with the seizures.
The state Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai paraded the suspects and exhibits at the command headquarters in Ikeja, detailing the command’s successes over the past two weeks.
He said operatives of the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit intercepted the consignments when they flagged down an unregistered MAN diesel truck on the night of Saturday, June 20, 2026, along the Lekki-Epe corridor.
The truck, according to the CP, was loaded with 47 sacks containing military camouflage uniforms and caps and 80 cartons of different categories of suspected narcotics.
He said that the truck driver and his assistant were initially arrested before two other suspects who came to a police station in Surulere to claim the exhibits were also taken into custody.
CP Fatai identified the arrested suspects as Chinedu David, 29; Ezeagwu Chukwuma, 38; and Ifeanyi Ogbeanyi, 45.
He stated that “preliminary investigation revealed that the recovered truck was allegedly being used to transport the military camouflage uniforms to the eastern part of the country.”
However, he warned, that the investigation is still ongoing.
He added: “With the trend of events across the country, especially in areas affected by banditry and other violent crimes, we have seen criminal elements wearing military uniforms.
“We do not yet know what these uniforms were meant for, and that is why the investigation is ongoing.”
The seizure of military-grade uniforms and illicit drugs on their way out of Lagos comes weeks after a similar interception by the Nigeria Customs Service along the Sagamu-Ore-Benin Expressway, raising fresh concerns about criminal access to military accoutrements outside authorised channels.
Customs officials had previously seized a luxury bus conveying military apparel and narcotics concealed in cartons and hidden compartments, also heading towards the South-east.
In a separate operation, police arrested 34 foreign nationals during a raid on Lagos Island.
Those arrested comprised 14 citizens of Chad, nine from Burkina Faso, four from the Benin Republic, four Malians, two Togolese, two Cameroonians, and one Guinean.
The CP stated that many of those arrested were unable to provide satisfactory explanations for their activities, claiming “they were into networking.”
They are being profiled by the State Criminal Investigation Department and will be handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service for further action.
The police also rescued 38 foreign nationals from possible mob action in the Epe area of Lagos State on June 17, 2026.
Preliminary investigations revealed that 20 of the individuals entered Nigeria illegally, while 18 possessed valid ECOWAS travel documents.
The matter has been referred to the Nigeria Immigration Service and relevant diplomatic missions for appropriate action.
The command also recorded other successes in the period under review, including the arrest of a suspect linked to a notorious ‘one-chance’ robbery syndicate, with 51 mobile phones recovered from victims.
Additionally, operatives arrested two suspected cable vandals identified as Ikenegboge Godwin, 23, and Aondoaka Jacob, 23, who were intercepted while vandalising electrical cables on the Third Mainland Bridge.
Police operatives recovered the stolen cables and have launched a manhunt for other fleeing members of the syndicate.
In the Ijanikin area of Lagos, police operatives acting on intelligence supplied by residents arrested several suspects and recovered a cache of firearms, including two double-barrelled guns and six locally fabricated single-barrel firearms.
The police also arrested suspected cultists linked to the Eiye and Alura confraternities, recovering firearms and ammunition during the operations.
Other recoveries include 14 firearms, four live cartridges, and two Vehicle Engine Control Units (ECUs), otherwise known as brain boxes.
The police boss reaffirmed the command’s resolve to keep Lagos secure.
“We are not going to allow any banditry into Lagos.
“Our borders are tightened up and we are not going to rest on our oars,” he said.
He also stated that police are on the trail of the alleged financier of the syndicate
The CP added : “We are on the trail of the person funding the syndicate.
“The suspects we have arrested are giving us useful information, and we are confident we will apprehend him.” (Vitalnewsngr.com)
