Tuesday, September 1, 2026 -A 20-foot container that appeared to be carrying ordinary household items from Turkey concealed a far more dangerous cargo — 204 pump-action rifles and dozens of firearm components intercepted by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos.
The discovery has raised fresh concerns over attempts by
criminal networks to exploit Nigeria’s ports to bring illicit weapons into the
country, coming barely two weeks after Customs announced the interception of
another consignment of firearm components at the same port.
The earlier shipment contained knocked-down components that
were subsequently assembled into 399 pump-action rifles.
The latest consignment, according to the Comptroller-General
of Customs, Dr Bashir Adeniyi, was imported in a container numbered TEMU
184536/9, which arrived at the port aboard the MV Algeciras Express from Turkey
on August 16, 2026.
Adeniyi, who was represented at a press briefing yesterday
by the Deputy Comptroller-General, Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection,
Timi Bomodi, said Customs flagged the container and subjected it to a 100 per
cent physical examination two days after it arrived. What officers found was
markedly different from what had been declared.
The firearms had allegedly been concealed among household
goods and falsely declared as furniture, refrigerators, solar panels and
detergent.
Further checks also revealed discrepancies in the
importation documents, particularly the consignee’s identity, prompting an
investigation into the people and network behind the shipment.
Following the discovery, the Customs Armament Unit, working
with experts from the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light
Weapons (NCCSALW) under the Office of the National Security Adviser, assembled
the knocked-down components.
The exercise resulted in the recovery of 204 complete MAS 49
Alter Magnum pump-action rifles.
Customs also recovered several leftover firearm components,
including 39 trigger pins, 58 locking lugs, 53 charging handles, 55 pistol grip
screws, 56 springs, 56 trigger groups, 38 forward grips or hand guards, 67
forward grip latches, 56 pistol grips, 54 barrels and two U-plates.
Adeniyi said the seizure demonstrated the importance of
intelligence-led operations and the use of technology in preventing prohibited
goods from entering the country.
He said the NCS risk-management system, supported by
intelligence, profiling, technology and collaboration with other agencies, was
making it increasingly difficult for traffickers to disguise firearms as
legitimate imports or escape detection through false documentation.
According to him, the seized firearms and components have
been secured and documented and will be formally handed over to the NCCSALW.
But Customs said its job would not end with the seizure.
Adeniyi stressed that the service would investigate beyond the physical
interception of the weapons to identify and dismantle the networks responsible
for moving them into Nigeria.
At the Tin Can Island Port Command, the Customs Area
Controller, Joe Anani, warned smugglers against using Nigerian seaports as
routes for bringing prohibited firearms and other dangerous items into the
country.
He said the repeated interception of prohibited
consignments, particularly firearms, demonstrated the vigilance of the command
and its determination to prevent dangerous weapons from reaching unauthorised
persons.
Anani said the latest seizure should serve as a warning to
those who regard Nigerian ports as easy entry points for prohibited goods.
“The Tin Can 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 said.
He added that the NCS would continue to collaborate with
other security agencies to frustrate attempts to smuggle arms into the country.
Receiving the seized weapons on behalf of the NCCSALW, its
South-West Zonal Director, Abiodun Alamutu, said the interception underscored
persistent attempts by criminal networks to circumvent Nigeria’s security
architecture by moving illicit weapons through the country’s borders and ports.
Alamutu commended Customs for detecting the shipment before
the weapons could reach unauthorised users, but warned that the continued
proliferation of illicit arms remained a collective security challenge.
He called for sustained collaboration and intelligence
sharing among security and regulatory agencies, stressing that no single agency
could effectively tackle the problem alone.
He assured that the 204 firearms handed over to the centre
would be properly registered, managed and secured in line with national
procedures and international best practices.
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