…AsTin Can Customs hands over 399 rifles to NCCSALW
Ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 elections, the firearms and light weapons have been on demand spike, creating a challenge of control for security agencies, especially the Nigeria Customs Service(NCS) which has been on serial tracking with intelligence and technology. MMS PLUS reports that it has been a case of winning some and losing some at the ports and the nation’s borders.
In another success story, NCS has handed over 399 fully assembled UJF pump-action rifles and 535 assorted firearm components intercepted at the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).
The handover took place on Monday at the Tin Can Island Customs Command after Customs officials completed the examination, inventory and documentation of the concealed arms shipment.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said the container carrying the weapons arrived at the port aboard MV Velika on July 8 and was selected for examination after the NCS risk-management system flagged the consignment.
He explained that the firearms had been dismantled and concealed among other contents in the container in what appeared to be an attempt to evade detection.
“When I met gentlemen of the press last week, we told you the inspection had been made, but that the examination and the coupling were still going on. That work is now finished,” Adeniyi said.
According to him, the completed examination established that the consignment contained 399 fully assembled Jojef Corp. patrol rifles and 535 assorted firearm component parts.
The recovered components included 89 frames, 80 charging handles, 579 trigger groups and 25 locking blocks, all of which were counted and documented by Customs officials.
Adeniyi said the seizure was significant against the backdrop of Nigeria’s security challenges, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes.
He warned that the attempted importation of hundreds of firearms could have posed a serious threat to public safety, particularly as the country moves towards another electioneering period.
“This particular one did not reach its desired destination, and officers of this service are the reason for that,” the Customs chief said.
The Comptroller-General also attributed the successful interception to the NCS’s technology-driven risk-management and cargo-screening systems, noting that Customs could not physically inspect every container entering the country.
He said the system combines automated risk management, cargo tracking and non-intrusive inspection to identify consignments requiring closer examination.
“What technology gives us is the ability to know which container to open,” Adeniyi said.
He stressed that the seizure should not be viewed as an isolated incident, saying investigations had moved beyond the discovery of the weapons to identifying the people and networks connected to the consignment.
Adeniyi disclosed that two suspects, identified as Robert Eze and Ejiogu Godson, had been arrested in connection with the shipment.
He said one of the suspects was apprehended on July 31 at the Bond Terminal while allegedly attempting to secure the release of the container.
According to him, both suspects had been remanded by the Federal High Court in Lagos, while further legal proceedings were expected as investigations continued.
The Customs chief said investigators were still working to establish the intended destination of the firearms and determine the wider network behind the shipment.
“This, therefore, is not an incident. This is a case, and every link inside of it,” he said.
Adeniyi also issued a warning to Customs personnel against colluding with arms traffickers, saying officers who facilitate the movement of illicit weapons would face the full consequences of their actions.
“Any officer who lends himself to this trade or who uses his position to ease the passage of goods like this will not and will never find shelter or protection within the Nigerian Customs Service,” he declared.
The seized firearms and components were subsequently handed over to the NCCSALW, under the Office of the National Security Adviser, for appropriate custody and further action.
Receiving the items on behalf of the Centre, retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Johnson Kokumo commended the Customs Service for intercepting the consignment, describing the handover as an important contribution to national security.
Kokumo said the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons remained a major driver of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, insurgency and other violent crimes in the country.
He noted that assessments by the Centre indicated that a significant proportion of illicit weapons in circulation might at some point have passed through official channels, making stronger controls at ports and other entry points imperative.
According to him, the Centre has recovered more than 21,000 small arms and light weapons since its establishment, while more than 19,000 have been destroyed.
He assured that the weapons received from Customs would be properly managed and accounted for in accordance with Nigerian law and relevant international best practices.
Kokumo further advocated stronger cooperation among security and law-enforcement agencies, particularly through real-time intelligence sharing, voluntary surrender and civil disarmament initiatives.
The Tin Can Island Command also disclosed the seizure of another consignment involving 240 water containers allegedly used to conceal cannabis-infused products among other imported goods.
The seized items included Delta-8 cannabis-infused pre-rolled products, Delta-8 cannabis-infused gummies and cannabis-infused cookies, with the NCS putting their combined street value at approximately N373.8 million.
Adeniyi said the inventory and valuation of the narcotics, which had not been completed when Customs initially briefed the media, had now been concluded.
He said the products would be formally handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and action within its statutory mandate.
The Customs chief said the development reflected the importance of inter-agency cooperation in preventing prohibited narcotics intercepted at Nigeria’s ports from reaching communities.
He added that he was scheduled to participate in a programme with the NDLEA leadership concerning the destruction of seized illicit drugs after the completion of investigations.
According to Adeniyi, the destruction of confiscated narcotics is necessary to prevent them from finding their way back into the illegal market.
The Customs Area Controller of the Tin Can Island Ports Command, J.A. Anani, described the handover of the seized items as evidence of the agencies’ shared commitment to national security and the accountable management of prohibited goods.
Anani stressed that effective border management required more than enforcement, noting that collaboration among Customs, security agencies and regulatory institutions remained critical to tackling the movement of illicit arms and other prohibited commodities.
He commended the leadership of the Customs Service and the NCCSALW for their cooperation and expressed confidence that stronger inter-agency collaboration would lead to further successes against arms-trafficking networks.
Adeniyi said the significance of the seizure went beyond the number of rifles and firearm components recovered, arguing that every weapon intercepted before reaching criminal networks represented a potential threat neutralised.
“Every firearm we stop before it reaches the wrong hands is a life that may have been saved,” he said.
He pledged that the NCS would continue to strengthen intelligence gathering, improve its risk-management systems and deepen collaboration with sister security agencies to detect and disrupt attempts to smuggle arms and other prohibited goods into the country.
The Comptroller-General maintained that Nigeria’s ports and borders could not be allowed to become conduits for illicit weapons.
“We will not allow the ports and the borders of this country to be used for bringing arms or anything else that threatens the safety of Nigerians,” Adeniyi said.
He added that the handover was intended to promote transparency and accountability while allowing investigations into the seized weapons and suspects to proceed without prejudging their outcome.
