Three women have been paraded after finding 818 rounds of live ammunition concealed in a rice bag.
The suspects are 25 year old Eleana Yowei, 21 year old Favour Bello and 30 year old Priye Jimi.
The Nigerian military is also currently detaining Lance Corporal Yowei, Eleana Yowei ‘s husband.
Speaking to newsmen while being paraded alongside other suspects, 25-year-old Eleana Yowei said the bag of rice was brought home by her husband, Lance Corporal Yowei from Zamfara.
Eleana, who lives in Kano, said her husband for 7 years called her on the phone on May 28, saying that Favour Bello, 21, who is staying with her, is going to travel to Bayelsa and instructed her to send her the rice bag when she’s on her way. He added that when she arrives at Bayelsa, Favour was told to hand the bag of rice over to her mother Priye Jimi, 30.
The next day, a call from her husband to tell her Favour was detained by louts at the car park. From the barracks he sent soldiers, who went there and were also detained. Police came to her home that evening, and arrested her.
She was taken to the Bompai, Kano, SARS office and held for a week before being transferred to Abuja.
In tears, Eleana told newsmen that because of the confidence she had for her seven-year – old husband, she did not check the contents of the rice bag. She said she’s a victim and advised people to always check the contents of any package they ‘re receiving.
“For seven years which I married my husband this has never happened. Right now, I’m a victim and my only regret is that, because if trust, I did not check the content of it. I only just, on instruction, gave out the rice. Had it been I checked the content of it…”
Favor Bello, telling the story, said her mother called her on May 27, instructing her to come to Bayelsa “based on the lockdown”. Bello, who is an FCE Kano student, said she’s living in the North with Eleana Yowei, because she’s close to her school.
She added that she was also told on the same day by Eleana ‘s husband that his wife would send her half bag of rice to take with her mother and he sent her 19,000 Naira as her transport fare.
Favour was detained at the park, however, after transport workers found the rice bag was too heavy and opened it to check its contents.
Favour said she had no idea what was in the bag until it was opened at the park, while being paraded.
Priye Jimi, Flavour ‘s mother, who police say is 30 years old, also said she had no idea what was in the bag.
While she was paraded, Priye Jimi explained that she had received a call from her friend, Favour, complaining that she had issues with Eleana Yowei, so she told her daughter to come home because there was a lockout and schools were closed down. She added that she got a message from Eleana ‘s husband telling her that he will send half bag of rice to her through her daughter but she had no idea what was in the bag of rice.
DCP Frank Mba, Nigerian Police Force PRO, said during a press conference that the ammunition hidden in a rice bag was intercepted in a car park in Kano by officers monitoring activities in various motor parks.
He said: “We have a total of 39 suspects, including 3 females all linked with offences ranging from kidnapping, armed robbery, cattle rustling, and gun running.
He added: “3 women aged 30, 25, and 21 years respectively were arrested for a failed attempt to move a total of 818 rounds of live ammunition all the way from Kano to Bayelsa state.”
He said Eleana’s husband has been arrested and “is currently detained by the Nigerian military.”
He cautioned Nigerians against the desire to get rich overnight through crime.
