April 30, (THEWILL) – The British High Commission has clarified that Micah Polo, a man linked to alleged arms smuggling in Delta State, is not a serving officer of the UK military.
Polo, a purported British military Major, was arrested in Delta state last Friday by DSS operatives. He was reportedly intercepted with over 50 AK-47 rifles, six pump-action shotguns, and more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition.
In a statement on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the British High Commission clarified that “The individual identified in recent Nigerian media reporting is not a serving member of the UK Armed Forces.”
The Commission further explained that Polo, who previously had links to the British military, served only as a junior rank in the UK Armed Forces Reserves and had been discharged.
“Whilst in the Reserves he was a junior rank, not a commissioned officer”, the statement clarified, “At no point did he hold a commissioned officer status”, it added.
Citing legal and privacy obligations under common law and the UK’s Data Protection Act, the High Commission said it could not release additional personal details about the former service member.
“We have a common law and Data Protection Act duty to protect the personal details of our current and former employees and are, therefore, not able to release any additional information in this matter.”
It also called on the media to report the facts accurately, especially in matters involving public interest and international relations.
“For additional information on UK personnel, journalists have been directed to contact the Commission’s Press and Public Affairs team”, it said.
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