Customs have seized an illegal shipment of explosives into Nigeria, a country buckling under a wave of bomb attacks blamed on Islamists, including one against United Nations (UN) offices, an official said on Saturday.
'A 40-foot container of explosive materials was intercepted yesterday at the port of Tin Can' in Lagos, customs spokesman Wale Adeniyi said.
The container, which arrived a week ago at one of Nigeria's busiest ports, originated from China and was falsely declared to contain industrial spares and children's toys.
'It was declared to be industrial valves and... toys by the source, but it was discovered that the majority of the stuff were explosives,' he said.
No importer or agent has come up for clearance as yet and no arrests made so far, the official said, adding the container was opened as part of "intelligence surveillance".
"It contained all the things that could be used to make explosives -- detonators, wires. They have been confirmed to be explosive materials."
Nigeria has in recent months come under unprecedented bomb attacks -- the worst being on the country's UN headquarters in Abuja last month.The resulting blast blew out the building's first two floors, killing 23 people and leaving 116 others wounded, some seriously.It was one of the bloodiest attacks targeting the UN. A suicide bomber on August 26 made his way through a gauntlet of security at the UN's main compound, forcing his way through the gate before ramming into the building.
God! What is Nigeria turning into?
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