The Lagos State Police Command said it has burst an illegal military camp with the code name Nigeria Marchant Navy at Ogudu area of the State.
The Police said that 107 suspects including one of their commanders were arrested, while several military accouterments which included camouflages, barges of ranks, signboards, and identity cards were recovered from the camp.
Other items recovered included recruitments letters, promotion letters and a portrait of the commanding officer, two motorcycles, a plasma Television, three cutlasses, Charms, and other items.
The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, who paraded the suspects at the Command Headquarters, Ikeja, yesterday, said that the Nigeria Marchant Navy had since been outlawed by the Federal Government, hence it was illegal for anyone to operate such a military outfit, giving military training to unsuspecting Young Nigerians was not a good thing for the country.
“This trend portends danger for our nation and a threat to peace and security, it, therefore, beholds on us as a law enforcement agency to enforce such law banning activities of the illegal military outfit.
“I want to use this medium to warm other individuals or groups still operating such illegal outfit in any part of the State to close it forthwith. Anyone nursing the plan to operate such an outlawed security outfit is advised in his own interests to rescind the decision or face the full wrath of the law. The police would not hesitate to clamp down on them and their operators and bring them to books, we, therefore, urge members of the public with useful information about anyone operating a clandestine military outfit or training camp to inform the police for necessary action.”
He added that” on November 10, at about 11 am, the Lagos State Police Command raided the illegal training camp of the Marchant Navy located at Ogudu sand field area. We were able to arrest the commanding officer Sunday Dakare in company with his members who were on undergoing military training”.
He said that the real owner of the camp, simply identified as Agaba is on the run.
One of the Commanders, Sunday Dakare told Cornerstonews that:” Marchant Navy is a recorgnised organization worldwide. We are presently agitating for the Federal Government to recorgnise us as it did to The Civil Defence Corps. I don’t know why the Police are after us. We know the security challenges confronting Nigeria, so we are trying to assist security agencies. Well, I may interest you to know that that the issue of the Marchant Navy is before the National Assembly. It has gone through the first and second readings. I don’t know why the government is after us, because we have not committed any crime. We did not steal and we did not kill anyone “.
