The Nigeria Customs Service has handed over a total of 3,897 arms and ammunition to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
Speaking during the handing over ceremony yesterday at the Federal Operations Unit Zone, A Ikeja, the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, said that a total of 1,599 arms and 2,298 ammunition intercepted between 2018 and 2024 were handed over.
He highlighted that in May 2018, the service intercepted a significant batch of arms, including 440 pump-action rifles and accessories ingeniously concealed within 516 bags of plaster of Paris cement in a 20-foot container with the number PONU 210024/1.
Adeniyi stressed that through sustained intelligence operations, the service intercepted two additional containers with registration numbers, CMAU 189817/8 and GESU 255208/1, at Tincan Island Port, similarly concealing arms and ammunition among sanitary wares.
He mentioned that the seizure coincided with heightened security challenges from armed bandits in the Northwest and illegal arms proliferations in the Southeast, “revealing the linkage between some transnational smuggling networks and our domestic security challenges through sustained intelligence operations.”
Giving details of the interception, he said that the service deployed forensic capacities to conduct detailed electronic analysis of customs documentation and shipping records through established diplomatic channels.
Adeniyi stated that in carrying out the exercise, the NCS partnered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to engage the authorities in Turkey, leading to the definitive identification of the purchasing company.
“The investigation trail, which was supported by financial records obtained through court orders in Nigeria, enabled us to establish the identities of those behind these illegal armed shipments,” he said.
He added that through strategic interagency cooperations, particularly with the assistance of the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, the service successfully prosecuted the case.
Earlier, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, appreciated the synergy between the National Centre (Office of the National Security Adviser) and the 16 government arms-bearing agencies, particularly the Nigeria Customs Service.
Ribadu, who was represented by the Director General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, Johnson Babatunde Kokumo, DIG (Rtd), added that the commitment from the NCS is key to the collective fight against the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons.
“I recall with pride the notable arms bust of July 2024 when the NCS intercepted 844 rifles and 112,500 rounds of live ammunition at Onne in Port Harcourt,” Ribadu said.
According to him, the recovered weapons were promptly handed over to the centre and the suspects, including the principal suspects, were arrested.
He said that the apprehension of the suspects underscores the critical role of their coordinated efforts and reinforces why agencies must continue channelling intercepted arms to the centre.
The NSA averred that by effectively managing the entire lifecycle of small arms and light weapons—from registration and tracking to seizure and destruction—the centre actively strengthens collective security and aligns with global efforts to combat the illicit trade in arms.
He expressed commitment to providing the necessary support and enabling environment for the centre to perform its core functions, “thereby mitigating threats such as terrorism, kidnapping, banditry, pipeline vandalism, and other challenges to our national peace and stability.”
