Troops uncover armoury in Kano, arrest Lebanese

KANO — SPECIAL forces drafted from the Nigerian Military, Tuesday night, raided a residential building-cum-warehouse packed with sophisticated military hardware at Bompai, a highbrow area located within the precinct of police and immigration headquarters in the troubled northern commercial city.

Vanguard learnt that the warehouse belonged to an alien from the Middle East and located in Gaya Road, Bompai GRA and within a striking distance to the Police state headquarters and the headquarters of the Nigerian Immigration Service.

Security sources close to the military told Vanguard, on condition of anonymity, in Kano that the highly coordinated military operation was carried out following a tip-off by a suspect under investigation.

The elite troops were said to have stormed the residence, picked up the occupants and in the ensuing search on the suspected bungalow, large cache of arms and ammunition were discovered in the sitting room and some wardrobe in the house.

The military source revealed that, “large quantities of the military hardware were buried in the house, while some were neatly concealed. It took a trained officer in counter-terrorism to discover the hidden mass weapon of war.”

Recovered

The security source further revealed that items recovered from the 72-hour operation includes: 40 air-to-surface missiles, 50 cluster bombs, 200 rocket-propel launcher, eight AK-47 rifles, 200 military hand grenades, uncountable number of live ammunition and certain military hard wares deployed to destroy Armoured Personnel Carriers, APC.”

The dependable source said that the weapons of war were evacuated to the headquarters of the 3rd Motorised Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Kano, alongside two other arrested nationals of the same Middle East extraction, in connection with the shocking discovery.

The source stated that preliminary investigation revealed that “three countries have been indicted and the military high command is working to ascertain the culpability.”

Eyewitness account

However, a civilian eyewitness, who lives in the neighbourhood, said he counted over “300 AK-47 riffles and I saw soldiers packing ammunition using shovels into some large containers from the house.”

The account gave the name of the suspect as one Ta’al, who appeared to be in his late 50s, stressing that “Ta’al had been staying in the house for the past five years alone without his family, and lived a secluded life as he hardly associate himself with people in the neighbourhood.

“The suspect hardly received visitors and drives a white Toyota Hilux, and doesn’t keep late night.”

However, the military authorities are keeping sealed lips over the development as effort to get their side of the story proved abortive.

When contacted, JTF spokesman in Kano, Capt Ikediche Iweha, neither denied nor confirmed the discovery, but pleaded understanding, saying that “we are going to issue a statement.”