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The Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, over the weekend, advised the federal government to consider meting out
appropriate sanction to the country of origin of the arms and
ammunitions intercepted recently at the Apapa Port, Lagos.

Mr Fashola, while
speaking to journalists at the Tin Can Island Port where he had gone to
inspect the impounded consignment, said taking such action will
reinforce the successful interception and send a positive message to
the international community that Nigerian ports are not for terrorism
acts. “This is a huge trading port,” he said. “Our port and the
businesses that it brings in terms of export to other countries create
international commercial benefit that must never be abused against the
safety of citizens. So this is the time we should be finding out where
this cargo originated from and summoning their diplomatic
representative if we have not done so.

This is where we
should be considering whether or not we should suspend import from that
country to send the strongest signal to every other countries that ship
goods to Nigeria that our port are ports for development of the
prosperity of Nigeria and Nigerians and not port for being agents of
destruction. I want to see the Minister of Foreign Affairs summoning
the Ambassador of the country who owns the vessel, the people who are
named on the bill of lading, even if
they are not in Nigeria. This is not different from what happened to us
when one of our citizens was caught in an aircraft. They de-categorised
and reclassified our airport. The seaport is not different.”

India, or Iran

According to the
Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Dikko Abdullahi,
the ship came into Nigeria, in transit, from India, but its country of
origin is yet to be ascertained. The seized weapons, contained in 13
containers, were intercepted by a combined team of State Security
Service and Customs officials.

However, the
shipping company that shipped the crates of weapons, CMA CGM, a French
company, said the ship was loaded in Iran and its next destination
after Nigeria is Gambia. The company, in a statement made available to
Reuters, claimed it had been a victim of false declaration. “The
shipment in question was booked as a ‘shipper’s owned container’ and
supplied loaded and sealed by the shipper, an Iranian trader who does
not appear on any ‘forbidden persons’ listing. The containers were
loaded in Bandar Abbas and discharged in Lagos in July,” stated the
company.

Mr Fashola, who described as unimaginable, what would have happened
if the consignment had escaped, commended the Nigerian Customs Service.
“I think the message to be sent is: What do we do with the latest
success? Do we want to climb a slope or climb a hill? I think we must
use this success to climb a slope and progress from here”, he said.