Thursday, July 4, 2024 - Customs impounded another cache of arms and other military items illegally imported into the country from Turkiye through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
Fifty-five pieces of unassembled Jojef
Magnum (Tomahawk) semi-automatic shotgun and other military and para-military
hardware and accoutrement were discovered on Wednesday, July 3, neatly packed
and concealed inside other items in a container.
It was the second such seizure of illegally
imported arms in 48 hours made known by Customs.
On Monday, July 1, a container with 844
rifles and 112,500 rounds of ammunition was intercepted at the Onne Port in
Port Harcourt.
Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs
Service (NCS) Adewale Adeniyi, who announced the latest arms seizure in Lagos,
said: “Acting on credible intelligence from our local and international
collaborators, on 19 June 2024, we deployed personnel to man all the exit
points effectively and mandated our officers to conduct 100 per cent
examination of all consignments.”
According to him, this led to the discovery
of this shipment.
The items include 148 pieces of drones, 172
pieces of ballistic vests, one piece of ballistic helmet, eight pieces of
walkie-talkies, and 9,172 pieces of military and para-military badges.
Other seized items are 20 pieces of
camouflage uniform, 100 pieces of camouflage vests, 172 pieces of Camouflage
caps and 120 pieces of binoculars.
The total payable duty value on the items
is N1.56billion.
One suspect has been arrested in connection
with the criminal act, Adeniyi added.
Recently, Customs impounded 11 rifles and
six pistols among other items at the airport in Lagos.
On what will be done with the seized items,
Adeniyi said: “Relying on the relevant provisions of the Nigeria Customs
Service Act 2023, the following decisions have been taken on the illicit items
“The 55 pieces of unassembled Jojef Magnum
semi-automatic shotgun are hereby seized, with the concealing items.
“The items would be handed over to the
Coordinator of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light
Weapons, under the office of the National Security Adviser, for diligent
investigation and prosecution.
“The suspect arrested will be handed over
to the centre for further processing.
“We will work diligently with other
agencies of government to apprehend all other parties to this illicit
importation.
“All other controlled items imported
without the requisite end-user certificates are hereby seized.
“Officers whose diligence, integrity and
dedication to duty resulted in this remarkable seizure would be adequately
rewarded in a manner provided by the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.
“This seizure sends an unequivocal warning
to anyone considering similar illicit importation.
“The Service is relentless in its pursuit
of securing our national frontiers and fostering national security.
“Under my leadership, the Service will not
condone any act that threatens this nation’s national security and
economic prosperity.”
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