By ALEX AKAO The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’ Ikeja – Lagos, has intercepted a package of 436 cartridges illegally imported into the country. The deadly consignments were detected mid-last week, concealed in packs of confectionaries, during a routine check on a commercial vehicle at Gbaji Checkpoint along Badagry-Seme Express Way. Public Relations officer of the Unit, Uche Ejesieme, who broke the news, said the suspected owners on sensing danger during the process of profiling by the arresting officers in order to ascertain the real owners of the exhibit, jumped into the nearby Lagoon. He said and all efforts to catch up with them proved abortive, but assured that they would be fished out ultimately. He said the development was spurned by renewed vigor of the Controller of the Unit, Comptroller Dan Ugo, acting on the Comptroller General Dr. Abdullahi Dikko Inde’s directives to step up its Anti-smuggling activities to check the influx of Arms and Ammunitions through the Land Borders. He said the directive was necessary following security and intelligent reports that some unscrupulous elements were up to some negative acts, hence extra vigilance was commenced by the operatives stationed at the land borders. According to him, the situation had called for concerted efforts so as to guard against influx of Arms and Ammunitions especially with the recent insurgencies in most West African countries. He stated that the borders in the South-West and beyond will be thoroughly monitored in all ramifications so that unscrupulous elements will not use it for such illicit transactions. The Controller, he said, had promised that the unit will not relent in its statutory function of effectively policing the borders with a view to ensuring a tight security as well as the use of intelligence gathering in order to nip in the bud the notorious activities of these trans-border criminals. SUN