Fifteen Russian sailors detained by Nigeria’s navy in October on suspicion of arms smuggling have been transferred to the police for prosecution, a naval spokesman said on Wednesday.
A major diplomatic ruckus might be underway between Abuja and Moscow after Nigeria announced Thursday that it will go ahead and prosecute 15 Russian sailors on charges of arms smuggling. The Russian sailors were arrested last October 23, after Nigerian authorities intercepted their ship for violating Nigerian territorial waters and found several guns and around 8,598 rounds of ammunition aboard.
At the time of the arrest, a Nigerian Navy Spokesman Commodore Aliyu Kabiru said 22 Benelli MR1 rifles and several other automatic weapons were also found on the ship which belonged to the Moran Security Group, based in Moscow, but was flying a Dutch flag, he added.
The incident provoked a diplomatic row and almost strained relations between Nigeria and Russia as negotiators worked to secure their release, while Nigerian officials, promised to release the sailors once their investigations were over. But on Monday, the Nigerian navy handed over the sailors to the Nigerian police, ostensibly to be prosecuted on charges of arms smuggling.
“…We handed over the crew to the police as we have completed preliminary investigations,” Lieutenant Commander Jerry Omodara, spokesman for the Western Naval Command, told Reuters, adding “the ship and the weapons are still in our custody.”
In a stinking rebuke to this latest development, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned in a statement of possible retaliation, saying the sailors were facing a court case initiated “under false pretexts” and that Nigeria has backpedalled on a promise made to the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov; that the men would return to Russia before the New Year.
“We expect that this time around the Nigerian partners will stick to their word and release the Russian sailors in the nearest time without additional conditions and further delays,” the ministry said in a statement released yesterday.
The Moran Security Group, the Russian company that owns the confiscated vessel, called the accusations “groundless” and urged Nigeria to release the sailors. “Over nearly three months, no charges were presented. This means the Nigerian side has no strong evidence… A week after the detention they would have been transferred the sailors to the police and then to court,” Moran spokesman Alexei Maximov said, adding: “This case … is the worst possible scenario that is threatening bilateral ties between Russia and Nigeria”.
In 2010, a consignment of rocket launchers, grenades and other explosives from Iran en route to Senegal was seized in Lagos, causing a diplomatic row between Nigeria and Iran. It also strained ties between Iran and Senegal, which accused Iranian security forces of trying to supply weapons to its Casamance rebels.
