MD Men Sentenced For Smuggling Guns, Ammunition To Nigeria: Prosecutor

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — A 41-year-old Bowie man has been sentenced in connection to the transporting and smuggling of firearms and ammunition from the U.S. to Nigeria.

Wilson Che Fonguh has been sentenced to 63 months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release for conspiracy, for transporting firearms with obliterated serial numbers and for smuggling firearms and ammunition from the United States to Nigeria. He also was ordered to pay a fine of $25,000.

Fonguh was convicted of the charges May 6 along with co-defendants Eric Fru Nji, 42, of Fort Washington, and Wilson Nuyila Tita, 47, of Owings Mills. Co-conspirator Roger Akem, 52, of Woodbury, also was sentenced to two years in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release for his role in the smuggling operation.

According to the evidence presented at trial, from at least November 2017 through July 2019, Fonguh and his co-defendants conspired with each other and with others to export firearms, ammunition and other military typed items from the United States to Nigeria. Specifically, the evidence at trial established that Fonguh and his co-conspirators secreted 38 firearms, 28 of which had the obliterated serial numbers in a shipping container that they sent out of the Port of Baltimore in January of 2019.

The guns included sniper rifles, SKS assault rifles - some with bayonets - other rifles and several handguns. There were 44 high-capacity magazines, two rifle scopes and more than 35,000 rounds of ammunition.

As detailed in trial testimony, Fonguh and his co-conspirators paid for the purchase of firearms, ammunition, reloading materials and other equipment for shipping overseas to separatists fighting against the government of Cameroon. According to their plea agreements, co-defendant Tamufor St. Michael, Akem and others purchased the ammunition, firearms and other military-type items, both online and in-person.

The evidence revealed that Fonguh and his co-conspirators concealed the firearms, ammunition, rifle scopes and other items in duffle bags and heavily wrapped packages inside sealed compressor units, placing those items into a shipping container destined for Nigeria. Fonguh and his co-conspirators communicated about their efforts and plans to ship weapons and ammunitions using an on-line encrypted messaging application and code words in order to conceal their activities, court documents revealed.

St. Michael, 42, of Rosedale, along with Akem and three co-conspirators pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy and were sentenced to between 2 years and 46 months in federal prison. A ninth co-conspirator also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.