TheCable

The federal government has blacklisted a private firm operating in Koko, Delta state, for allegedly diverting explosives.

Kayode Fayemi, minister of solid mineral development, has also ordered the sealing off of the company’s premises and withdrawal of its explosive distribution licenses.

“The action by the government followed the outcome of investigations by the office of the national security adviser (NSA), which revealed that the company was involved in illegal diversion of about 9,000 kilogramme of Nitro-glycerine explosives and 16,420 pieces of electrical detonators from its magazines between 2015 and 2016,” a statement from the minister’s office read.

The minister also warned manufacturers, importers, sellers and end users of explosives in the country to desist from illicit diversions “including the sale, procurement, storage and use of explosives in line with the provisions of the explosives act of 1964 , the explosives regulations of 1967 and other extant policy directives.”

The Nigerian government has in recent years tightened its control on the distribution of explosives, as it fights a brutal insurgency by Boko Haram.

The UN had recently released a report revealing Nigeria as a hub for illicit proliferation of weapons.