Customs Seizes 399 Fully Assembled Rifles, Parts at Tin Can Port

The Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted a shipment containing 399 fully assembled Jojef firearms and a large quantity of rifle parts at the Tin Can Island Port.

The seizure followed a detailed examination of a container in which the firearm components were concealed among crates of knocked-down parts, the service said.

NCS National Spokesperson Abdullahi Maiwada announced the development in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.

Maiwada said Customs confirmed the seizure after completing the coupling and examination of the recovered firearm components.

He said Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adeniyi had earlier disclosed the interception of the container, with the items initially identified as Jojef pump-action rifle components.

Further examination, according to Adeniyi, revealed 89 frames, 16 heat shields, 10 trigger pins, three pistons, 25 locking lugs and 80 charging handles.

The shipment also contained 39 pistol-grip screws, 34 springs, 57 trigger groups, 66 foregrip latches, 45 foregrips or handguards, four pistol grips and five barrels.

‘Criminal networks may exploit entry points’

The Comptroller-General warned that criminal elements could seek to take advantage of Nigeria’s ports, borders and airports to move prohibited items into the country as the nation approaches another election cycle.

“We are about entering a major election cycle and we know that by this period, men of the underworld will want to use our borders, our ports, our airports to bring in items like this,” Adeniyi said.

He said Customs would step up surveillance and enforcement at the country’s entry points to stop the movement of illegal firearms and other prohibited goods.

Adeniyi said the NCS would continue to rely on intelligence-led operations, enhanced border monitoring and cooperation with other security agencies to dismantle networks involved in arms trafficking.

He identified the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), as a key partner in the effort.

The seized firearms, he said, would be transferred to the NCCSALW after Customs completes the inventory and assessment process.

The Customs chief said the operation underscored the commitment of the security agencies to keeping dangerous weapons out of circulation and ensuring that those behind the trafficking operation are identified and prosecuted.

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