The Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) annex has intercepted a consignment of 300 rounds of live ammunition and multiple contraband goods. The driver, Nelson Peretei, was arrested and taken to FCID annex for questioning.
While searching the container, 300 rounds of 9mm live ammunition concealed in a Nissan Frontier pickup, two Toyota Sienna vans, ne Nissan Frontier pickup, one SCION XA vehicle, 24 bags of foreign rice, seven bales of used clothing, cartons of vegetable oil and various household items were discovered.
Five suspects were arrested in connection with the consignment. Investigations linked the shipment to one Mrs Maria Adeyemi, based in the United States, who failed to declare the ammunition and contraband in the bill of lading. Further inquiry exposed an attempt by a self-acclaimed retired U.S. Marine Colonel, Sunny Nwadiri, to claim ownership of the ammunition through an intermediary, without providing verifiable personal details.
FCID revealed that preliminary findings indicate strategic concealment of the illegal items among legitimate goods, with none of the ammunition or contraband listed in the shipping documents, an attempt to evade port security systems.
It is conducting deeper investigations into the source, intended destination, and possible ties to broader criminal or arms-trafficking networks. The department is working closely with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Department of State Services (DSS) to ensure thorough intelligence-sharing and prosecution in accordance with the Firearms Act, Cap F28, LFN, and other relevant laws.
It also uncovered and dismantled a sophisticated syndicate involved in movie piracy, copyright infringement, conspiracy, and cyber-enabled offences targeting Nigeria’s creative industry.
The operation followed a petition by FilmOne Entertainment Limited, reporting the unlawful upload of their movie ‘Owambe Thieves’ on TikTok on August 23, 2025. The suspect demanded N1,000 from viewers seeking access to a pirated copy of the full movie. The petition was supported with evidence, including screenshots, transaction details and documents affirming ownership rights.
Arrested, the prime suspect confessed to obtaining the movie from an illegal website, uploading edited scenes on TikTok for engagement, and distributing the full pirated film via WhatsApp for N1,000. He admitted selling the pirated movie to over 50 individuals and confirmed involvement in the piracy of several Nollywood titles such as Farmers Bride, Thinline, andAlakada Bad and Bourjee.
A forensic examination of two seized devices, an iPhone 15 Pro and an iPhone SE, yielded substantial evidence, including lists of recipients and copies of pirated films shared via WhatsApp and Telegram.
Financial forensics further revealed inflows of N7,616,403.80 and outflows of N7,612,270.99 in his OPay account between August 20, 2025 and October 29, 2025, confirming steady revenue from cyber-enabled piracy and fraud.
AIG Margaret Ochalla, encouraged members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to support ongoing security efforts.
