The Tin Can Island Port Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted another consignment of illegal firearms, seizing 204 pump-action rifles allegedly smuggled into Nigeria from Turkey.
Briefing journalists at the port on Monday, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said the seizure demonstrated the Service’s sustained intelligence-led efforts to curb arms trafficking through Nigeria’s ports.
Adeniyi, who was represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, said the interception followed credible intelligence that led to the flagging of a 20-foot container imported from Turkey aboard the MV Algeciras Express on August 16, 2026.
The container was subjected to a 100 per cent physical examination on August 18, during which officers discovered knocked-down firearm components concealed among declared used household items, including furniture, refrigerators, solar panels and detergent.
Bomodi said investigators also discovered discrepancies in the shipment’s documentation, particularly concerning the identity of the consignee, adding that investigations into the consignment and those connected to it were ongoing.
Following the discovery, a joint team comprising personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service Armament Unit and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons assembled the recovered components.
The exercise produced 204 MAS 49 ALTER MAGNUM pump-action rifles, alongside several leftover firearm parts, including trigger pins, locking lugs, charging handles, pistol grips, barrels and other components.
The Customs Service said the recovered items had been secured and documented and would be formally handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons for further statutory action.
Bomodi said the operation underscored the importance of intelligence-sharing and collaboration among the Nigeria Customs Service, the Office of the National Security Adviser and other security agencies in tackling arms smuggling and related crimes.
He reiterated the Comptroller-General’s warning to arms traffickers and their collaborators, stressing that intelligence gathering, technological tools, profiling and inter-agency cooperation were making it increasingly difficult to conceal or smuggle illegal firearms into the country.
Earlier in August, the Customs Service had announced the interception of knocked-down firearm components at the same command, which were subsequently assembled into 399 pump-action rifles and handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
