Weapons Stock: JTF Arrests 3 Lebanese in Kano

30 May, 2013
Local

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The Joint Security Task Force (JTF) in Kano, has arrested three citizens of Lebanon allegedly owing the hide-out of light weapons recovered at a bunker in the city.

Brig.-Gen. Iliyasu Abba, the Brigade Commander, 3rd Brigade, Nigerian Army, said one of the suspects was arrested on Tuesday at a house on Gaya Road in Bompai area of Kano.

According to him, another suspect was arrested in Abuja while the third suspect was apprehended since May 16, at Aminu Kano International Airport, on his way to Beirut, Lebanon.

“The one arrested at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport had a sum of 60,000 US dollars in his possession.”

He said one Abdullahi Hassan Tahir Padalla, who was the owner of the house in which one of the suspect was arrested was still at large.

Abba said among the weapons discovered during the operation on Tuesday were 17 AK 47 rifles, 44 magazines, four land mines and 12 RPG bombs, 14 RPG charger, 11 66 mm anti-tanks weapons, one SMG magazine, one pistol and magazine.

Also, 11, 433 rounds of 7.26 mm special, 76 hand grenade, rocket propelled guns, 122 calibre artillery and anti mines weapons were recovered.

“What you are seeing here are weapons of mass destruction in terms of our situation here right now in Nigerian.

“If these things has been brought out only God knows the type of destruction they will cause to innocent persons in the state or in the country,’’ he said.

He said the Department of State Security Service (SSS) in Abuja had been investigating the case for long.

In a remark, the state Director of the SSS, Mr. Bassey Ettang, said that the three suspects had a link to the Hezbollah group in Lebanon.

According to him, the suspects have for a long time been using the bunker in the house to stockpile arms and ammunition.

He restated the commitment of the SSS and other security agencies to continue with the ongoing war on criminals nationwide. (NAN)

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Four Arab Men Questioned Over Arms Find In Kano

Posted: May 29, 2013 - 23:26

Arms recovered by Nigerian Troops in Kano

By SaharaReporters, New York

SaharaReporters has learnt that Nigerian military authorities were questioning four foreign nationals suspected to be from a Middle Eastern country over a large consignment of arms and ammunitions intercepted in a warehouse located in the Bompai area of Kano, the Kano State capital.
A security source also told SaharaReporters that the owner of the warehouse, simply identified as a Lebanese national, was also a guest of Nigerian military interrogators over the shock discovery.
As at the time of this report, the building on Gaya Road, Bompai, where the weaponry was found was under heavy military guard.
A spokesman for the anti-terrorist Joint Task Force and member of the 3rd Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Captain Ikedichi Iweha, indicated that the brigade would brief reporters on the issue later today. He declined to make further comments on the incident, which occurred on Tuesday night.
“You will get the details tomorrow (Thursday),” he said. He added, “Because of the Democracy Day celebrations we have decided to talk to you after the break.”
A security source told our correspondent that security was beefed up in the commercial city of Kano as a result of the Democracy Day celebrations. There was a significant increase in vehicular patrols by officers of the JTF and the police. “You can see that our patrols made it possible to achieve the kind of peace that the people of Kano have not experienced in recent months,” a security official said.
Some of Kano’s terror flashpoints attracted the largest presence of soldiers and police. The areas include Kurna Asabe, where two persons were reportedly killed last Friday by unknown gunmen, Hotoro-Mariri, Yankaba and Badawa. The areas are suspected hideouts for gunmen.
In a fresh video message released yesterday by Boko Haram, the militant group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, threatened more violence targeted at members of the press, the police and the military. In the one-hour video, the sect’s leader also threatened the country’s politicians and members  of their families, accusing them of corruption. Mr. Shekau also denied reports that many of his men had been killed in the recent onslaught carried out by soldiers in the North East States where emergency rule had been declared by President Goodluck Jonathan.
“There is no truth in that claim, it is only a propaganda, in all we have only lost seven members while the Soldiers cannot count the number of their men who were killed in the confrontation” .
He warned that those who have made it their stock in trade to expose the Boko Haram members and their activities to security agents should wait and see what would happen to them.
He accused the Media of dishing out falsehood against the sect especially on casualty figure its members.
In the video also displayed military patrol vehicle purportedly seized by the militants and some captured and dead soldiers.