The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted another consignment containing 204 pump-action rifles concealed among declared used household goods at the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, bringing the total number of pump-action rifles seized by the Service at the port to 603 within one month.
The latest seizure occurred barely three weeks after Customs intercepted a consignment of knocked-down firearm components at the same port, which were subsequently assembled into 399 pump-action rifles.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Tin Can Island Port on Monday, Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, DCG Timi Bomodi, said the interception followed credible intelligence that triggered a 100 per cent physical examination of the container.
DCG Timi Bomodi giving his speech at Tincan Island Port Command
According to Bomodi, the 20-foot container, TEMU 184536/9, arrived from Turkey aboard MV Algeciras Express on August 16, 2026, and was flagged for examination two days later.
A thorough inspection reportedly uncovered knocked-down firearm components concealed among declared household items, including furniture, refrigerators, solar panels and detergent.
Bomodi said Customs subsequently assembled a joint team of experts from the NCS Armament Unit and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), under the Office of the National Security Adviser, to assemble the components.
The exercise resulted in the recovery of 204 MAS 49 ALTER MAGNUM pump-action rifles, alongside several leftover firearm components.
The components recovered 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.
The Deputy Comptroller-General also disclosed that further discrepancies were discovered in the importation documents, particularly regarding the identity of the consignee.
He said the discrepancies had become part of an ongoing investigation aimed at uncovering the individuals and networks connected to the shipment.
Bomodi described the seizure as further evidence of the Customs Service’s sustained intelligence-led surveillance and enforcement against the illicit movement of firearms through Nigeria’s ports and borders.
He said the seized weapons and components had been secured, documented and formally handed over to the NCCSALW for appropriate statutory action.
According to him, the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of inter-agency collaboration among the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies in combating arms smuggling and related criminal activities.
Bomodi further warned smugglers against attempting to disguise firearms as household goods, conceal them in containers or manipulate import documentation, saying the Service’s risk-management architecture, intelligence gathering, technology and profiling capabilities were increasingly capable of detecting such schemes.
He stressed that Customs would go beyond intercepting prohibited consignments to identifying the entire criminal network behind their movement.
“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,” Bomodi said.
He also appealed to members of the trading public, particularly clearing agents, with useful information about the shipment or individuals behind the importation to come forward and assist security agencies.
CAC Tincan Island Port Command Comptroller Joe Anani giving his speech at the event in Tincan Island Port Lagos.
Earlier, the Customs Area Controller, Tin Can Island Port Command, Comptroller Joseph Anani, said the repeated seizures demonstrated the Command’s determination to prevent the port from becoming a channel for the importation of prohibited and dangerous items.
Anani commended the Comptroller-General of Customs for his leadership and support, as well as the NCCSALW for its cooperation in assembling and identifying the intercepted firearm components.
He also praised officers and men of the Tin Can Island Port Command for their vigilance, courage and dedication, noting that successful interceptions were often the result of officers’ commitment to diligently perform their duties despite challenging circumstances.
Receiving the seized firearms on behalf of the NCCSALW, the South-West Zonal Director, CP Abiodun Alamutu, said the successive interceptions demonstrated both the determination of criminal elements to circumvent Nigeria’s security architecture and the effectiveness of Customs in preventing illicit weapons from reaching unauthorised persons.
Alamutu called for sustained collaboration, intelligence sharing and unified action among security agencies and other stakeholders in the fight against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
He assured the Customs Service that the 204 firearms handed over to the Centre would be properly registered, managed and secured in line with national procedures and international best practices.
With the latest seizure, the Tin Can Island Port Command has recorded the interception of 603 pump-action rifles in just one month, underscoring the growing intensity of intelligence-led efforts to prevent the illegal importation of firearms into Nigeria.
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