The Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, during the handover of the seized rifles to the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over 399 seized rifles and other firearm components to the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, in a major move against the illegal proliferation of arms in the country.
Speaking with journalists on Monday, Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said the service had completed the assembly and detailed examination of a large arms consignment intercepted at the Tincan Island Port Command.
According to Adeniyi, the seizure comprised 399 fully assembled Jojef firearms and a substantial quantity of additional rifle components.
The recovered parts included 89 frames, 16 heat shields, 10 trigger pins, three pistons, 25 locking lugs, 80 charging handles, 39 pistol-grip screws, 34 springs, 57 trigger groups, 66 foregrip latches, 45 foregrips or handguards, four pistol grips and five barrels.
Adeniyi warned that criminal networks could attempt to exploit Nigeria’s borders, seaports and airports to smuggle prohibited items into the country as the nation approaches another election cycle.
He assured Nigerians that the Customs Service would intensify surveillance and enforcement operations to prevent the movement of illicit arms and other prohibited goods.
“We are about entering a major election cycle, and we know that by this period, men of the underworld will want to use our borders, our ports, our airports to bring in items like this. We are going to redouble our efforts to ensure that we do not allow them to do so,” Adeniyi said.
The Customs chief reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to intelligence-led enforcement, enhanced border surveillance and closer cooperation with other security agencies.
He specifically highlighted collaboration with the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), under the Office of the NSA, to identify and dismantle arms-trafficking networks while protecting national security and facilitating legitimate trade.
Following the completion of the inventory and assessment of the seized shipment, Adeniyi formally handed over the firearms and components to the Director-General of the NCCSALW under the Office of the NSA.
He said the handover demonstrated the commitment of security agencies to removing dangerous weapons from circulation and ensuring that those responsible for trafficking them are identified and prosecuted.
Adeniyi added that the two suspects arrested during the preliminary investigation had also been handed over to the Office of the NSA for further investigation and appropriate action.
