The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has transferred 3,897 arms and ammunition to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons. The handover ceremony was held yesterday at the Federal Operations Unit Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos.

The Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, disclosed that the cache comprised 1,599 arms and 2,298 rounds of ammunition intercepted between 2018 and 2024.

He recalled a notable interception in May 2018, where 440 pump-action rifles concealed in bags of plaster of Paris cement were discovered in a 20ft container at Apapa Port.

Adeniyi further revealed that sustained intelligence operations led to the interception of two other containers at Tincan Island Port, hiding arms and ammunition among sanitary wares.

These seizures were linked to heightened insecurity caused by banditry in the Northwest and illegal arms proliferation in the Southeast. He explained that detailed electronic analysis of customs documentation and diplomatic engagement with Turkish authorities helped identify the purchasing company behind the shipments. With support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and financial records obtained through court orders, the culprits were prosecuted in collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, represented by the Director General of the centre, Johnson Babatunde Kokumo (rtd), commended the Customs Service’s commitment to combating the proliferation of small arms.

Ribadu recalled a major arms seizure in July 2024, when 844 rifles and 112,500 rounds of ammunition were intercepted at Onne Port in Port Harcourt.He emphasised the importance of coordinated efforts in managing arms to combat threats such as terrorism, kidnapping, and banditry, pledging continued support for the centre’s operations to ensure national security.