Customs Hands Over 399 Pump-Action Rifles, 535 Firearm Components to Arms Control Centre
Customs Hands Over 399 Pump-Action Rifles, 535 Firearm Components to Arms Control Centre
Customs Hands Over 399 Pump-Action Rifles, 535 Firearm Components to Arms Control Centre
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over 399 Jojeff pump-action rifles and 535 assorted firearm components intercepted at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).
The handover, which took place on Monday, August 17, 2026, is part of strengthened inter-agency efforts to prevent the proliferation of illicit firearms and protect national security.
Performing the handover, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, described the seizure as significant, particularly against the backdrop of the country’s prevailing security challenges and the approaching electioneering season.
He said the interception had prevented hundreds of firearms from reaching unauthorised persons, stressing that technology, intelligence and modern risk-management systems played a crucial role in detecting and intercepting the consignment.
The Customs boss reaffirmed the Service’s determination to prevent Nigeria’s ports and borders from being used to import firearms or other items capable of threatening the safety and security of citizens.
According to him, the NCS would continue to strengthen intelligence gathering, improve risk-profiling systems and work closely with sister security agencies to identify and prosecute individuals involved in illicit arms trafficking.
CGC Adeniyi also disclosed that two suspects arrested in connection with the seizure had been remanded by the Federal High Court in Lagos, with their arraignment scheduled for August 25, 2026.
He further warned that Customs personnel who facilitate the illegal importation of firearms would face appropriate sanctions, stressing that the Service would not provide protection for officers who compromise their positions to facilitate arms trafficking.
Receiving the seized items on behalf of the NCCSALW, its Director-General, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Johnson Babatunde (Rtd.), commended the Comptroller-General and the Nigeria Customs Service for their professionalism and continued cooperation in tackling the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
Babatunde assured that the weapons and firearm components would be handled in accordance with Nigerian laws, international best practices and relevant regional and international obligations.
He said the NCCSALW would immediately catalogue, profile and document all items received.
He added that serviceable firearms that meet the requirements for authorised use by state security agencies would be properly accounted for, while illegal, obsolete and unserviceable weapons would be destroyed in line with established procedures.
The latest seizure and handover underscore the growing cooperation between Nigeria’s border-management and arms-control institutions in disrupting illicit weapons trafficking and preventing firearms from falling into the hands of criminal and violent groups.
Customs Hands Over 399 Pump-Action Rifles, 535 Firearm Components to Arms Control Centre
