The Nigeria Customs Service said its operatives intercepted nine containers carrying offensive items including arms, ammunition, Illicit drugs and second-hand clothes worth N13.9 billion.

The Comptroller-General, NCS, Adewale Adeniyi disclosed this on Monday while addressing journalists in Onne Port, Rivers State.

Adeniyi said one of the containers which originated from Turkey, based on the number of risk factors associated with the importation, became a subject of interest to the service.

Giving details of the container, the CG said, “We have followed its sail across continents and we’ve benefitted immensely from credible information through our collaboration with intelligence communities both at local, national and international levels,”

According to him, the importer tried to circumvent the procedure through the outlet of a private-bonded terminal.

“On Friday 21st of June 2024, the auspicious container was subjected to a thorough physical examination. Inside the container were 844 units of assorted riffles and 12,500 pieces of life ammunition,” which Adeniyi said were “concealed with various items like doors, furniture fittings and leather bags.”

An operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Idi Musa, on Monday testified against a social media celebrity, Ismaila Mustapha popularly known as Mompha, charged with six billion Naira money laundering.

Mustapha, still at large, is standing trial alongside his company, Ismalob Global Investment Ltd., on eight counts bordering on money laundering.

Musa, the sixth prosecution witness, while being led in evidence by the EFCC Counsel, Mr Suleiman Suleiman, told  the  court how he came across  Mompha and his company during the investigation.

He said the commission received an intelligence information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that Mompha and his company led a cybercrime in the United States of America.

“Sometimes in 2019, we received intelligence information from the FBI, U.S.A which was addressed to the commission informing us that first and second defendants were leading a cybercrime in U.S. A known as yahoo yahoo.

“The intelligence information indicated that the  first and second defendants belong to a syndicate operating between Nigeria and across border, defrauding some internet users.

“In the course of investigation, some letters were written to Zenith Bank requesting for account statement of the second defendant and also to the other bank linked to the first defendant, which include Fidelity Bank, and the account statement received was analysed.

“During the analysis, we discovered N30 billion inflow through the account of the first defendant in Fidelity Bank and about N5 billion in Zenith Bank account,” he said.

The witness further said letters were written to the FBI and the Special Fraud Unit of EFCC regarding the defendant claiming he was into Bureau De Change (BDC).

He added that letter was written to the Central Bank of Nigeria and other relevant agencies.

The witness said that investigation revealed that the first defendant did not reside in Nigeria and efforts to get across to him proved abortive.

“A letter was written to the Nigeria Immigration Services on Oct.16, 2019, to arrest the defendant anytime he arrives Nigeria.

“On Oct.18, 2019, the first defendant got the information that the commission was looking for him, while he was in Nigeria, he quickly got to airport, boarded a flight in other to escape arrest.

“The team got the information through the immigration at the airport but Mompha had already boarded the flight.

“He was arrested along with his properties and handed over to the  EFCC,” he said.

Musa told  the court that over N30 billion was discovered in Mompha’s Fidelity Bank account and that he was into the bureau de change business, a representation he knew to be false.

He added that the commission concluded investigation on offences bordering on money laundering, operating BDC without a licence, in which Mompha was still standing trial before Justice Emma of Federal High Court, Ikoyi.

“The combination of the FBI and an investigative report on Mompha’s iPhone, revealed that Mompha’s iPhone was used to send account details to a United Arab Emirates telephone number he used to search for swift codes of a bank.

“During the course of his arrest, all the properties recovered were registered with exhibits keeper in the EFCC office and most of the properties were released to him on bond, except his I-phone 8 that was still with the commission.

“All the items are proceeds of crime because when he was given assets declaration form to declared his assets, he did not include those items,” the witness said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the prosecution tendered two documents, the statement of first defendant and asset declaration which was admitted into evidence and labeled exhibit p5 and p6.

Justice Mojisola Dada, however, adjourned the case until Oct.8 for continuation of trial.

Eighteen people were killed on Saturday when four suicide bombers set off improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Gwoza, Borno State, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has said.

The attack, one of the deadliest reported in the state in recent months, injured more than 30 persons. The degree of injuries ranges from abdominal ruptures to skull and limb fractures.

The Director-General of SEMA, Barkindo Saidu, said he witnessed the first blast.

“In my presence, at about 3 pm, the first bomb blast in Gwoza occurred, detonated by a female suicide bomber in the midst of the marriage ceremony celebration,” he wrote in a situation report later in the day.

“It affected more than 30 persons with various levels of injuries and instant death. Some minutes later, another blast occurred around General Hospital.”

The wedding was held at Tashan Mararaba near the Fire Service in Gwoza town.

A survivor said the first bomber was carrying a baby on her back when she stormed the venue and detonated the IED.

As people gathered to bury those killed at the wedding, Saidu said a third bomber, a lady, detonated another IED with a lot of casualties.

While emergency officials were in the hospital coordinating the rescue mission, a fourth blast was set off by a female teenager.

“So far, 18 deaths comprise children, adult males, females, and pregnant women. 19 seriously injured were conveyed to Maiduguri in four ambulances,” Saidu said.

At the time he released the situation report, he said 23 were waiting for military escort “in the Medical Regimental Services (MRS) Clinic.”

The evacuation of the injured continued into the night with the SEMA DG, who was in Gwoza when the attacks occurred, coordinating the process from there.

He also said he had received a report of a suspected suicide bomber in Pulka but did not provide further details about that.

The military has imposed a curfew in Gwoza LGA in the wake of the attacks.