The Tin Can Island Port Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted a consignment containing 204 pump-action rifles allegedly smuggled into Nigeria from Turkey.
The seizure comes weeks after the command intercepted firearm components that were subsequently assembled into 399 pump-action rifles.
Briefing journalists on Monday, Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said the latest interception demonstrated the effectiveness of the Service’s intelligence-led operations against arms trafficking through the nation’s ports.
Adeniyi, who was represented at the briefing by the Deputy Comptroller-General, Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, recalled that he had visited the command earlier in August to announce the seizure of knocked-down firearm components.
Those components were later assembled into 399 pump-action rifles and handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
Providing details of the latest seizure, Bomodi said the operation was based on credible intelligence received by the command.
“Based on credible information gathered, a 20-foot container, an import from Turkey aboard vessel MV Algeciras Express on 16 August 2026, was flagged and subjected to a 100 per cent physical examination on 18 August 2026,” he said.
According to him, a thorough examination of the container uncovered firearm components concealed among declared household goods.
“After thorough examination, the container was found to contain knocked-down firearm components concealed among declared used goods, including furniture, refrigerators, solar panels and detergent,” Bomodi stated.
He added that investigators also identified discrepancies in the shipment’s documentation, particularly regarding the identity of the consignee.
“These discrepancies are part of the ongoing investigation into the shipment and those connected to it,” he said.
Following the discovery, the command established a joint team comprising officers of the NCS Armament Unit and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, under the Office of the National Security Adviser, to assemble the recovered components.
The exercise led to the assembly of 204 MAS 49 ALTER MAGNUM pump-action rifles.
Additional firearm components recovered from the shipment included 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 described the seizure as further evidence of the Customs Service’s intensified surveillance and intelligence-driven enforcement efforts aimed at preventing the illegal movement of firearms through Nigeria’s ports and borders.
He said the recovered items had been secured and properly documented and would be formally handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons for appropriate statutory action.
The Deputy Comptroller-General also stressed the importance of intelligence sharing and collaboration among the Office of the National Security Adviser, the NCS and other security agencies in tackling arms trafficking.
According to him, a whole-of-government approach is essential to addressing arms smuggling and other forms of organised criminal activity at Nigeria’s ports and borders.
Bomodi reiterated the Customs Service’s warning to smugglers, arms traffickers and their collaborators, saying attempts to illegally move firearms into the country would face increasingly sophisticated detection measures.
He said the NCS risk-management system remained robust, with intelligence gathering, technological tools, cargo profiling and inter-agency cooperation supporting its enforcement operations.
Bomodi further warned that efforts to disguise firearms as household goods, conceal them inside containers or use false and inconsistent documentation were becoming increasingly difficult to execute.
