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.