The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has foiled another brazen attempt to smuggle firearms into Nigeria, intercepting 204 pump-action rifles concealed among household goods at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos.
The latest seizure came barely days after the Customs Service intercepted components of 399 pump-action rifles at the same command, raising fresh concerns over attempts by criminal networks to flood the country with illegal firearms.
The seized weapons were discovered inside a 20-foot container numbered TEMU 184536/9, which arrived from Turkey aboard the vessel MV Algeciras Express on August 16, 2026.
According to the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timinadi Bomodi, the container was flagged based on credible intelligence and subjected to 100 per cent physical examination on August 18.
Bomodi, who represented the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, at the briefing, said the firearms had been deliberately disguised among declared used goods, including furniture, refrigerators, solar panels and detergent.
“After thorough examination, the container was found to contain knocked-down firearm components concealed among declared used goods,” Bomodi said.
He described the operation as another victory over what he called “agents of darkness”, commending Customs officers for preventing the dangerous consignment from reaching its intended destination.
Further investigations, he disclosed, uncovered discrepancies in the shipment documents, particularly concerning the identity of the consignee.
The discovery became even more alarming after the NCS Armament Unit, working with the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) under the Office of the National Security Adviser, painstakingly reassembled the dismantled components.
The exercise produced 204 MAS 49 ALTER MAGNUM pump-action rifles, in addition to dozens of leftover firearm components.
Among the recovered components were 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.
Bomodi said the seizure demonstrated the effectiveness of the Customs Service’s intelligence-led enforcement strategy and heightened surveillance of ports and borders.
“The current seizure is a further indication that the Service is maintaining heightened surveillance and intelligence-led enforcement against the illicit movement of firearms through our ports and borders,” he said.
He disclosed that the recovered items had been secured and documented and would be formally handed over to the NCCSALW for appropriate statutory action.
The Customs chief also warned smugglers, arms traffickers and their collaborators that the Service was closing the space for concealment and would pursue not only the weapons but the criminal networks behind their movement.
“Our risk management system is very robust and effective; there are no weak links in our architecture,” Bomodi declared.
He warned those attempting to disguise firearms as household goods, conceal them inside containers or rely on false and inconsistent documentation that intelligence gathering, technology, profiling and inter-agency cooperation were making such schemes increasingly difficult to execute.
Bomodi stressed that Customs would not stop at physical seizures, saying investigators would pursue the entire chain involved in the illicit arms trade.
“Our objective is to expose the entire chain involved in the illicit movement of firearms from the source and shipment to the intended destination and beneficiaries,” he said.
He also appealed to members of the trading public, particularly clearing agents with useful information about prospective arms smugglers, to come forward and assist security agencies.
The Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Port Command, Comptroller Joe Anani, said the latest seizure was a warning to criminals that the port would not become a weak link in Nigeria’s fight against arms trafficking.
Anani noted that the command had been forced to gather for similar enforcement operations more than once in the same month, describing the repeated seizures as evidence of the scale of the threat and the determination of Customs to stop it.
“These repeated seizures send a clear message that 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 the nation,” he said.
He warned those seeking to exploit Nigeria’s ports to import prohibited and dangerous goods, saying: “They will not find a willing partner in the Nigeria Customs Service.”
Anani also praised the NCCSALW for its cooperation, particularly the joint effort that enabled officers to assemble the dismantled firearm components and determine the exact nature and quantity of the weapons intercepted.
He commended the officers and men of the Tin Can Island Command for their vigilance and courage, saying every seizure represented an officer’s decision to stand against criminality despite difficult circumstances.
The latest interception underscores the growing emphasis by Nigerian security agencies on intelligence sharing and coordinated operations to prevent illegal firearms from entering the country, particularly through major ports and borders.
