Operatives of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID Annex in Alagbon, Lagos, have seized 300 rounds of 9mm ammunition concealed inside a Nissan Frontier pickup truck imported into the country.
Assistant Inspector General, AIG Margaret Ochalla, displayed the intercepted items on Wednesday, saying the container also contained two Toyota Sienna vans, a SCION XA car, 24 bags of foreign rice, seven bales of used clothing, and several cartons of vegetable oil and other household goods.
Five suspects, including the driver, Nelson Peretei, have been arrested in connection with the seizure.
In a statement, the FCID spokesperson, ASP Aminat Mayegun, disclosed that investigators linked the container to a U.S.-based sender, Mrs Maria Adeyemi, who allegedly failed to declare the ammunition and other prohibited items in the bill of lading.
Another individual, Sunny Nwadiri, who claimed to be a retired U.S. Marine Colonel, reportedly attempted to take responsibility for the ammunition but could not provide credible documentation to support his claim.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the ammunition and contraband were intentionally concealed to bypass security checks at the port. Further inquiries are ongoing, with the FCID working alongside the Nigeria Customs Service and the Department of State Services, DSS, to determine the source, destination, and potential criminal networks linked to the shipment,” the department stated.
In a separate operation, detectives dismantled a suspected movie piracy ring, arresting a key suspect accused of illegally uploading films to TikTok and distributing them via WhatsApp for payment.
“Following a petition from FilmOne Entertainment Limited, operatives apprehended a suspect who uploaded the movie Owambe Thieves on TikTok on 23 August 2025, charging viewers N1,000 for access. He also shared full copies of the film via WhatsApp,” the statement said.
Investigators found the suspect sourced the film from an illegal website and was linked to the piracy of several other Nollywood titles, including Farmers Bride, Thinline, and Alakada Bad and Bourjee.
A forensic review of two seized iPhones revealed extensive records of customers and pirated content distributed on WhatsApp and Telegram, while his OPay account showed inflows and withdrawals totalling N7.6 million within two months, believed to be proceeds of piracy and cybercrime.
AIG Ochalla reiterated the FCID’s commitment to combating cybercrime, arms trafficking, and intellectual property theft, urging the public to continue providing actionable intelligence to support ongoing security efforts.