Police seize truckload of military camouflage, arrest three in Lagos night operation
By: Oluwaseun M. Lawal
It was a quiet Saturday night in Surulere. Then the tip-off came in.
By the time operatives of the Lagos State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit moved in, an unregistered MAN diesel truck was already loaded and ready to go. Inside it? Sacks. Dozens of them. Stuffed with military camouflage uniforms.
By Tuesday morning, the story had shifted to the police headquarters in Ikeja, where the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, laid out what officers had uncovered.
Forty-seven sacks filled with military camouflage. Eighty cartons of substances suspected to be illicit drugs. Three men in custody.
The suspects were identified as Chinedu David, 29; Ezeagwu Chukwuma, 38; and Ifeanyi Ogbeanyi, 45. According to the police, they were picked up during an intelligence-led operation over the weekend. The truck they were using had no registration. That alone raised eyebrows.
Standing before journalists, the CP described the seizure as a “breakthrough.” His words were measured, but the implication was clear — this was no small haul.
“Operatives attached to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, acting on intelligence, arrested three suspects,” he said. The operation, he added, led to the recovery of a truck loaded with 47 sacks containing military camouflage uniforms and 80 cartons of drugs believed to be illegal.
Preliminary findings suggest the consignment was allegedly headed for the South-East. Why? For who? That part remains unclear.
Investigators are now trying to trace the source of the uniforms. Were they stolen? Counterfeit? Diverted from official channels? No firm answers yet. The suspected drugs are also undergoing scrutiny.
“Investigation is ongoing,” the commissioner noted, emphasizing that authorities are working to determine the ownership of the recovered items and identify anyone else linked to the shipment.
Interestingly, two of the suspects were not arrested on the road. According to a police officer familiar with the case — who asked not to be named because he wasn’t authorised to speak publicly — the truck driver and his assistant were initially detained. Later, two other men reportedly showed up at the Surulere police station to claim the goods.
That move, perhaps, sealed their fate.
“We arrested the driver and the assistant first,” the officer explained quietly. “Then two others came to claim the exhibits. That’s how we picked them too.”
The discovery comes at a time when security agencies are increasingly worried about criminals disguising themselves in military-style attire. Across parts of the country, bandits and armed groups have been known to wear camouflage to evade suspicion or gain easy access to communities.
CP Tijani was quick to calm fears, however. He said the intercepted items were being transported out of Lagos and did not pose an immediate threat to residents of the state.
“It does not pose any form of threat to Lagos,” he said. “They were moving out of the state. But with the trend of events in the country, where bandits wear military uniforms — who knows what they want to do with this?”
That uncertainty lingers.
Military camouflage is not something civilians are permitted to trade freely. Its presence in bulk — packed in nearly fifty sacks — raises serious security questions. Were they meant for impersonation? For resale? For something more coordinated?
For now, the truck sits in police custody. So do the suspects.
And somewhere in the background, investigators continue pulling at threads, trying to see how far this one goes.
Oluwaseun Musa Lawal is an Editor at REPORTERS ROOM with over eight years of professional journalism experience. He specializes in reporting on politics, climate change, health, and education, while also covering security, economic, and judicial affairs. His work is driven by a commitment to accuracy, balanced reporting, and public-interest journalism.
