The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has transferred a total of 3,897 confiscated arms and ammunition to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, an agency under the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA). The items include 1,599 rifles of various types and 2,298 cartridges.
The official handover took place at the Federal Operations Unit Zone A in Ikeja, Lagos. The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, noted that several individuals arrested in connection with arms smuggling are currently undergoing trial in different courts.
Adeniyi explained that the confiscated weapons were seized between 2018 and 2024, primarily in Lagos and Rivers states. One of the most significant operations occurred in 2018 when customs officers intercepted 440 firearms hidden inside 516 bags of plaster of Paris (POP).
Further in May 2018, customs operatives at the Tin Can Island Port discovered 440 pump-action rifles concealed in a 20-foot container (PONU 210024/1) filled with POP cement. Through sustained intelligence efforts, two more containers (CMAU 189817/8 and GESU 255208/1) were later identified at the same port, with firearms hidden among sanitary wares.
Adeniyi noted that customs officials, using forensic analysis of shipping documents and diplomatic discussions led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, traced the origin of these weapons to a purchasing company in Turkey.
During the event, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, was represented by the Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Rtd) Johnson Babatunde Kokumo. Ribadu commended the Customs Service for its role in preventing illegal arms from flooding the country.
He recalled a major seizure in July 2024, when customs officers intercepted 844 rifles and 112,500 rounds of live ammunition at Onne Port in Port Harcourt. The weapons were quickly handed over to the proper authorities, and the key suspects, including the alleged masterminds, were arrested.
