By Staff Writer
Jigjiga, Ethiopia, 29, October, 2018. Police in Ethiopia have seized a pickup loaded with explosives in Jigjiga. While speaking to BBC Somali service, the deputy in charge of customs and revenue Mr Ahmed Mohamed Mahad said the explosives were discovered when officers flagged it down as it tried to escape taxation. There were also 2,500 live bullets in it.
Mr Mahad said there is fear that many more may have entered Ethiopia through such ordinary looking pickups and small trucks, which usually go unchecked since the revolution that ousted the president of the Somali region of Ethiopia.
The borders of Ethiopia and Somalia opened when Ethiopian police in Liyu relocated when their payment failed to reach them.
Mr Mahad said the ammunition was targeted for use among the warring tribes in Somali region of Ethiopia and dismissed any involvement of terrorists who have infiltrated Jigjiga where criminals take advantage and cause chaos.
Mr. Mahad said the weapons originated from Somalia. The drivers and the pickup owners are in custody, and if found guilty, they will be sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison.
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