By Joyce Ekeh
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 204 pump-action rifles concealed among household goods at the Tin Can Island Port, barely three weeks after the service uncovered another shipment of firearm components and cannabis-infused snacks at the same port.
The latest seizure involved a 20-foot container declared as containing used household items. According to the NCS, the container arrived from Turkey aboard MV Algeciras Express on August 16, 2026, but was flagged for examination two days later following credible intelligence.
A 100 per cent physical examination of the container led to the discovery of the firearms hidden among furniture, refrigerators, solar panels and detergents.
At a press briefing on the seizure, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs, Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, DCG Timi Bomodi, said the consignment was subjected to physical examination after intelligence raised concerns about its contents.
He said discrepancies were also discovered in the import documents, particularly concerning the identity of the consignee, adding that investigations were ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the shipment.
Customs experts, working with officials of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), subsequently assembled and examined the recovered firearm components.
The exercise resulted in the identification of 204 MAS 49 ALTER MAGNUM pump-action rifles, alongside several leftover firearm components.
The components recovered included 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.
Third major interception
The latest discovery comes less than three weeks after Customs intercepted another consignment containing knocked-down pump-action rifle components and cannabis-infused snacks at the Tin Can Island Port.
Bomodi recalled that the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adeniyi, disclosed the earlier interception during his working visit to the Tin Can Island Port Command on August 18.
The firearm components from that seizure were subsequently assembled into 399 pump-action rifles and handed over to the NCCSALW.
Bomodi said the latest interception underscored the importance of intelligence-led enforcement, risk profiling and increased surveillance in preventing prohibited items from entering the country through the ports.
“The current seizure is a further indication that the Service is maintaining heightened surveillance and intelligence-led enforcement against the illicit movement of firearms through our ports and borders,” he said.
He disclosed that the seized firearms and components had been secured and documented and would be formally handed over to the NCCSALW for appropriate statutory action.
Customs targets smuggling networks
Bomodi also stressed the need for stronger collaboration among the NCS, ONSA and other security agencies to tackle arms trafficking and related criminal activities.
He warned smugglers, arms traffickers and their collaborators that Customs would continue to frustrate attempts to move illegal firearms into Nigeria.
According to him, the Service’s risk-management system, intelligence gathering, profiling and technological tools have made it increasingly difficult for prohibited items to be disguised as legitimate household goods or concealed inside containers.
He said Customs was no longer focused solely on intercepting illicit consignments but was also determined to uncover the networks behind the smuggling operations.
“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,” Bomodi said.
The Customs chief urged members of the trading public, particularly clearing agents, to provide information that could assist in identifying and arresting persons involved in the illegal importation of firearms.
