The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over 1,599 assorted arms and 2,298 live cartridges to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).
During the handover ceremony in Lagos, Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, stated that some importers of the seized weapons had been convicted, while other cases remained in court.
He added that 11 suspects linked to the arms trafficking network were also transferred for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Adeniyi emphasized the NCS’s commitment to securing the nation’s borders through targeted anti-smuggling operations and intelligence-driven interventions. He highlighted Customs’ role in national security, particularly in intercepting illegal arms and ammunition.
Speaking at the event, National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu, represented by NCCSALW Director General Johnson Kokumo, commended the collaboration between Customs and other security agencies. He reaffirmed the government’s dedication to curbing the circulation of illicit arms.
This is not the first major arms seizure by the NCS. In May 2018, the agency intercepted 440 pump-action rifles concealed in 516 bags of Plaster of Paris (POP) cement at Tin Can Island Port. Further investigations led to the discovery of two additional containers loaded with firearms hidden among sanitary wares.
