TINCAN CUSTOMS INTERCEPTS 204 RIFLES FROM TURKEY BARELY 3 WEEKS AFTER LAST SEIZURE
TINCAN Customs Intercepts 204 Rifles from Turkey Barely 3 Weeks After Last Seizure
By Babatunde Aremu
Operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Tin Can Island Port Command have again intercepted a consignment of arms, seizing 204 pump-action rifles concealed among household goods.
This latest seizure comes barely three weeks after the Command intercepted knocked-down pump-action rifle components and cannabis-infused snacks at the same port.
According to the Service, the 20-foot container was declared as containing used household items. It arrived from Turkey aboard the vessel MV Algeciras Express on August 16, 2026 , and was flagged for examination two days later following credible intelligence.
A 100 per cent physical examination led to the discovery of the firearms concealed among furniture, refrigerators, solar panels and detergents.
Speaking at a press briefing, Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs, Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, DCG Timi Bomodi, said Customs experts working with officials of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, NCCSALW, assembled the recovered components.
The exercise identified .
204 MAS 49 ALTER MAGNUM pump-action rifles, alongside leftover components including 39 trigger pins, 58 locking lugs, 53 charging handles, 55 pistol grip screws, 56 springs, 56 trigger groups, 38 forward grips, 67 forward grip latches, 56 pistol grips, 54 barrels and two U-plates.
Bomodi disclosed that there were discrepancies in the import documents, particularly regarding the identity of the consignee, and that investigations are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the shipment.
For the CAC , Joseph Anani the seizure further demonstrated the effectiveness of the Service’s intelligence-led enforcement strategy and heightened surveillance of cargo passing through Nigeria’s ports.
He warned smugglers, arms traffickers and their collaborators that the Nigeria Customs Service would not allow Nigerian ports to become channels for the movement of prohibited and dangerous items.
Comptroller Anani also commended the Comptroller-General of Customs for his leadership and support, as well as the NCCSALW for its cooperation in assembling the firearm components.
According to the Command, the joint exercise underscored the importance of practical inter-agency collaboration in tackling the proliferation and trafficking of illicit arms.
The Command said the operation was also evidence of the effectiveness of the whole-of-government approach involving the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies in tackling arms smuggling and other criminal activities.
The Service said its risk-management system, intelligence gathering, technological tools, cargo profiling and inter-agency collaboration were making such schemes increasingly difficult to execute.
It added that investigations would go beyond the physical seizure of the firearms to uncover the networks behind the consignment, including its source, shipment route, intended destination and beneficiaries.
