Nigeria interrogates Iranian over Lagos arms shipment

Investigators are holding an Iranian in custody in connection with the shipment of arms discovered last Month at the Apapa Port in Lagos. Security sources told NEXT at the weekend that the man, who had taken refuge at the Iranian embassy, has been with officials of the State Security Service for about three days now and is already providing useful information.

“He is expected to throw more light on the involvement of the Nigerian consignee, who is also involved in the shipment of the arms,” the source said.

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Odein Ajumogobia had, last Friday after talks with the Iranian Foreign Affairs minister, Manouchehr Mottak, told journalists in Abuja that security agencies had been granted access to the Iranian embassy to interrogate the Iranian in their probe of the incident.

Mr Ajumogobia, who travelled to New York at the weekend, is also expected to brief the United Nations on the incident. The Nigerian official is in the United States for a Security Council discussion on Sudan where participants will be briefed on the preparations for the January 2011 referendum in south Sudan, the situation in Darfur and progress of the Doha peace talks.

UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon is expected to do the briefing along with the Head of the AU High-Level Implementation Monitoring Panel, Thabo Mbeki; the Head of UN Mission in Sudan, Haile Menkerios and the Head of UN/AU Mission in Darfur, Ibrahim Gambari.

UN arms sanction

But Mr Ajumogobia is also expected to raise the issue of the arms export, especially as Iran is under a UN conventional arms ban. The resolution affirming the ban also empowers states to seize and dispose the prohibited items when they are found.

On Oct. 26, Nigeria’s State Security Service (SSS) discovered 13 containers of illegal weapons at the port. A French-based shipping company, CNA CGM, said the shipment originated from the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas and was delivered to Lagos in July. The shipping company said labels on the crates indicated they contained stone and glass wool.

The shipment was subsequently taken to a depot where it was left untouched. The cargo was later opened and found to contain artillery rockets and shells, mortars and hand grenades, among others.