The British High Commission has dismissed media reports linking a serving member of the United Kingdom Armed Forces to an alleged illegal arms transaction in Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Commission clarified that the person mentioned in the reports is no longer part of the UK military.
“The individual identified in recent Nigerian media reporting is not a serving member of the UK Armed Forces,” the statement noted.
Further clarification revealed that the individual in question was once a junior member of the UK Armed Forces Reserves but has since been discharged. The Commission also confirmed that he never held the rank of a commissioned officer.
Due to legal obligations under the UK’s Data Protection Act and common law, the High Commission said it could not provide additional personal details of either serving or former military personnel.
It stated: “The individual identified did serve as a junior rank in the UK Armed Forces Reserves but was discharged. Whilst in the Reserves, he was a junior rank, not a commissioned officer. We have a duty to protect the personal details of current and former employees and are not able to release further information at this time.”
It will be recalled that reports had alleged that a British Army officer was recruited to assist in the procurement of arms and ammunition to escalate ethnic tensions in the Niger Delta.
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Delta State reportedly foiled the operation last Friday, arresting the suspect during a covert arms deal around Asaba.
Recovered items included over 50 AK-47 rifles, six pump-action guns, and more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition.
The said officer was intercepted in Lagos while trying to board a flight to the United Kingdom, while other suspects were nabbed in Asaba.
In response to the development, Niger Delta stakeholders and civil society groups stormed the British High Commission on Monday, calling for a thorough investigation and urging the UK government to cooperate fully with the DSS to track down other accomplices believed to be on the run.
