By Sandra Chukwunyere
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Tin Can Island Port Command, has intercepted 204 pump-action rifles concealed in a 20-foot container declared as used household goods and imported from Turkey.
The seizure marks the third major firearms interception recorded by the Command in the last six months, according to the Service.
The container, numbered TEMU 184536/9, arrived at the Tin Can Island Port aboard the MV Algeciras Express from Turkey on August 16, 2026.
Acting on credible intelligence, Customs officers flagged the container for inspection and subjected it to a 100 per cent physical examination two days later.
During the examination, officers discovered knocked-down firearm components concealed among declared household items, including furniture, refrigerators, solar panels and detergent.
Following the discovery, experts from the Nigeria Customs Service Armament Unit, in collaboration with personnel from the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, assembled the components and recovered 204 MAS 49 ALTER MAGNUM pump-action rifles.
Other firearm parts recovered from the container included 39 trigger pins, 58 locking lugs, 53 charging handles, 55 pistol-grip screws, 56 springs, 56 trigger groups, 38 hand guards, 67 forward-grip latches, 56 pistol grips, 54 barrels and two U-plates.
The latest interception comes barely two weeks after the Command seized another consignment of knocked-down firearm components which were assembled into 399 pump-action rifles.
Those rifles were subsequently handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons for appropriate statutory action.
Speaking at a press briefing, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, said the seizure reflected the Service’s determination to prevent illegal firearms from entering the country.
Bomodi said the operation was intelligence-driven and also uncovered discrepancies in the documents accompanying the consignment, particularly concerning the identity of the consignee.
He said the discrepancies, the shipment and persons linked to it were being investigated.
According to him, Customs was determined to identify the wider network behind the illegal shipment rather than stopping at the seizure of the firearms.
“The Service will continue to collaborate with all relevant authorities to identify, intercept and investigate consignments that pose a threat to national security,” Bomodi said.
He added that the Service would pursue the networks behind such consignments, including those involved from the point of origin and shipment to the intended destination and beneficiaries.
Bomodi disclosed that the seized firearms and components had been secured and documented and would be formally handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons for further statutory action.
He also emphasised the importance of intelligence-sharing and cooperation among the Nigeria Customs Service, the Office of the National Security Adviser and other security agencies.
Earlier, the Customs Area Controller, Tin Can Island Port Command, Comptroller Joseph Anani, warned arms traffickers and other criminal elements against using Nigeria’s ports to smuggle dangerous weapons into the country.
Anani said the repeated interceptions showed that the Command remained vigilant and would not allow the port to become a weak point in the enforcement of import prohibitions.
“These repeated seizures send a clear message: 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 said the joint examination and assembly of the firearm components by Customs officers and personnel of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons further demonstrated the importance of inter-agency collaboration in tackling arms smuggling.
The latest seizure comes amid heightened efforts by Nigerian security and enforcement agencies to prevent the movement of illicit firearms through the country’s maritime gateways and to trace the networks responsible for bringing such weapons into the country.
