The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted a consignment of 204 pump-action rifles concealed among household goods at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, barely three weeks after another shipment of firearm components was seized at the same facility.
The latest interception involved a 20-foot container declared as containing used household items. The container arrived from Turkey aboard the vessel MV Algeciras Express on August 16, 2026, but was flagged for examination two days later following credible intelligence.
A 100 per cent physical examination of the container subsequently uncovered the firearms concealed among furniture, refrigerators, solar panels and detergents.
Speaking at a press briefing on the seizure, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, said the shipment was subjected to detailed examination after intelligence raised concerns about its contents.
Bomodi disclosed that discrepancies were also discovered in the import documents, particularly concerning the identity of the consignee, with investigations ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the shipment.
He said Customs officials, working in collaboration with the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), assembled and examined the recovered firearm components.
The exercise, according to him, led to the identification of 204 MAS 49 ALTER MAGNUM pump-action rifles, in addition to several leftover firearm components.
The recovered components included 39 trigger pins, 58 locking lugs, 53 charging handles, 55 pistol-grip screws, 56 springs, 56 trigger groups, 38 forward grips or handguards, 67 forward-grip latches, 56 pistol grips, 54 barrels and two U-plates.
Bomodi said the seizure demonstrated the Customs Service’s continued efforts to prevent the smuggling of firearms into Nigeria through the country’s ports and borders.
He recalled that the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adeyemi Adeniyi, during a working visit to the Tin Can Island Port Command on August 18, had disclosed the earlier interception of firearm components at the port.
Those components were subsequently assembled into 399 pump-action rifles and handed over to the NCCSALW.
According to Bomodi, the latest interception further underscored the importance of intelligence-led enforcement, risk profiling and enhanced surveillance in detecting prohibited consignments disguised as legitimate imports.
“The current seizure is a further indication that the Service is maintaining heightened surveillance and intelligence-led enforcement against the illicit movement of firearms through our ports and borders,” he said.
The Deputy Comptroller-General said the seized firearms and components had been secured and documented and would be formally handed over to the NCCSALW for appropriate statutory action.
He also stressed the need for sustained collaboration among the NCS, ONSA and other security agencies to combat arms trafficking and associated criminal activities.
Bomodi warned smugglers, arms traffickers and their collaborators that the Customs Service would continue to disrupt attempts to illegally bring firearms into the country.
He said the Service’s risk-management system, intelligence gathering, profiling and technological capabilities had made it increasingly difficult for prohibited items to be disguised as legitimate household imports or concealed inside containers.
Beyond intercepting illicit consignments, Bomodi said Customs was focused on identifying and dismantling the networks responsible for firearms trafficking.
“Our objective is to expose the entire chain involved in the illicit movement of firearms, from the source and shipment to the intended destination and beneficiaries,” he said.
He urged members of the trading public, particularly clearing agents, to provide credible information to help security agencies identify and apprehend individuals involved in the illegal importation of firearms.
