Customs hand over 204 seized rifles to arms centre
The Nigerian Customs Service, Tincan Island Command, on Monday handed over 204 seized pump-action rifles imported from Turkey to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this at Tincan Island Port while handing over the seized rifles to the South West Coordinator of the NCCSALW, Abiodun Alamutu.
Adeniyi, who was represented at the event by the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, explained that the seizure was preceded by credible intelligence and sustained efforts to prevent the importation and circulation of illegally imported firearms into Nigeria.
The CGC recalled that earlier in August, during his working visit to the command, he briefed the media on a landmark interception of knocked-down components of firearms, adding that those firearm components were subsequently assembled into 399 pump-action rifles and were officially handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
“Based on credible information gathered, a 20-foot container with registration number TEMU 184536/9 arrived from Turkey aboard vessel MV Algeciras Express on 16 August 2026, was flagged and subjected to a 100 per cent physical examination on 18 August 2026.
“After a thorough examination, the container was found to contain knocked-down firearm components concealed among declared used goods, including furniture, refrigerators, solar panels and detergent.
“The Command immediately put together a team of experts from the Nigeria Customs Service Armament Unit and that of the NCCSALW, under the Office of the National Security Adviser, to carry out the assembly of these parts, and a total of 204 MAS 49 ALTER MAGNUM pump-action rifles alongside various numbers of leftover components were uncovered,” Adeniyi said.
He pointed out that other contraband seized included 39 trigger pins, 58 locking lugs, 53 charging handles, 55 pistol grip screws, 56 springs, 56 trigger groups, 38 forward grips (hand guards), 67 forward grip latches, 56 pistol grips, 54 barrels, and two U-plates.
Adeniyi emphasised that further discrepancies were also discovered in the consignment documents, particularly regarding the identity of the consignees. He stressed that these discrepancies were part of the ongoing investigation into the shipment and those connected to it.
The CGC highlighted that the current seizure was a further indication that the service was maintaining heightened surveillance and intelligence-led enforcement against the illicit movement of firearms through the ports and borders.
The Customs boss reiterated that the items had been secured, documented and would be formally handed over to the NCCSALW for appropriate statutory action. Adeniyi maintained that the operation underscored the importance of intelligence-sharing and collaboration between the Office of the National Security Adviser, NCS and other security agencies.
He said that the whole-of-government approach to the menace of arms smuggling and other criminal activities at the ports and borders had proven to be very effective, as attested to by the seizure.
Adeniyi warned smugglers, arms traffickers and their collaborators that illegal arms would not find their way to the wrong end of the value chain and that the space for concealment was becoming increasingly limited.
“Our risk management system is very robust and effective; there are no weak links in our architecture, so those who believe that firearms can be disguised as household goods, concealed in containers or imported through false or inconsistent documentation should understand that intelligence-led enforcement, technological tools, profiling and inter-agency collaboration are making such schemes increasingly difficult to execute,” Adeniyi added.
He maintained that the service would continue to collaborate with all relevant authorities to identify, intercept and investigate consignments that pose a threat to national security.
“We will also pursue the networks behind such consignments and not merely focus on the physical seizure of the prohibited items. Our objective is to expose the entire chain involved in the illicit movement of firearms from the source and shipment to the intended destination and beneficiaries.
“We also encourage members of the trading public, especially the clearing agents who may have any information that can lead to the arrest of would-be importers of these items, to come forward. Their assistance in this regard should be considered a patriotic duty,” he said.
Earlier, the Customs Area Controller in charge of Tincan Island Command, Joe Anani, said that the command had continued to remain vigilant in the discharge of its responsibilities.
Anani stressed that the repeated seizures sent a clear message that “Tincan Island Port Command will not be a weak link in the enforcement of import prohibitions, particularly when it concerns dangerous items capable of threatening the peace and security of our nation.”
He argued that those who saw the ports as an easy route for bringing prohibited and dangerous items into Nigeria should understand that they would not find a willing partner in the NCS.
“As we hand over these items today, let us remember that this is not simply about seized firearms. It is about protecting lives, preserving national security and ensuring that our ports serve legitimate trade and economic development, not as channels for introducing instruments of violence into our communities,” he said.
The South West Coordinator of the NCCSALW, Abiodun Alamutu, said the successive interceptions signified the relentless efforts of criminal elements to circumvent the security architecture at the borders and ports.
“It also shows the unwavering efforts of the NCS to intercept these weapons from getting into the hands of unauthorised persons or wrong persons. These efforts have considerably stopped the illicit movement of these arms for them to be used to perpetrate criminal activities that may threaten the peace and security of the country,” he said.
Credit – The Cable
