Nigeria suspect says he didn't know cargo had arms

Forbes (AP)

8 March 2011

Nigeria suspect says he didn't know cargo had arms

LAGOS, Nigeria -- A Nigerian accused of importing illegal arms from Iran says he was deceived into thinking that the shipment contained building materials.

Ali Usman Abbas Jega said in a statement read in court Tuesday that he gave his name as a consignee because Iranian citizen Azim Aghajani and a businessman whose name was given as Masud did not tell him that the 13 containers carried weapons.

The manifest for the consignment also said that the containers had building materials.

Jega and Aghajani face four charges over the weapons shipment seized Oct. 26 in Lagos' busy Apapa Port. The shipment had 107 mm artillery rockets, rifle rounds and other weapons concealed beneath tiles.

Nigerian authorities impounded the cargo while it was in transit to Gambia.