Ship ‘carrying weapons to Nigeria detained in South Africa’

South Africa yesterday detained a Russian ship laden with weapons and allegedly bound for Lagos, Nigeria. The vessel said to have left Madagascar was stopped near Port Elizabeth in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province.“We are aware that she has dangerous cargoes – explosives and weapons – on board,” Olwethu Mdabula, spokeswoman for the Transnet state transport company told AFP, declining to give further details.

“This is a very, very sensitive matter. It is receiving attention,” spokesman for the Hawks police investigative unit, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, told the news agency, confirming the vessel was carrying weapons.The discovery of the ship said to have been stacked with “weapons and explosives worth about $3.5m in 20 containers” followed an anonymous tip-off.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed told media he did not have any information on the issue, as at press time. The polity, meanwhile, is getting increasingly charged as the 2019 elections approach. The number of parties contesting for space this time around is unprecedented. Analysts have actually warned that having 91 political parties in a developing country like Nigeria is unhelpful to the nation’s democracy and a call to disorder. They made the assertion in Lagos while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on political developments in the country.The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on August 16 issued certificates to 23 newly registered political parties, raising the number of registered parties to 91.