The CGC added that the seizure highlighted the Service’s active collaboration with stakeholders to keep illegal weapons off the streets and strengthen public safety.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Thursday handed over a total of 3897 arms and ammunition to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).

Speaking during the handover ceremony, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, stated that 1599 arms and 2298 rounds of ammunition were handed over.

Adeniyi explained that the seized arms and ammunition were intercepted between 2018 and 2024.

He noted that in 2018, the Service intercepted 440 arms concealed in 516 bags of plaster of Paris.

The CGC added that the seizure highlighted the Service’s active collaboration with stakeholders to keep illegal weapons off the streets and strengthen public safety.

He recalled that in May 2018, the Service intercepted a significant batch of arms, including 440 pump-action rifles and accessories, ingeniously concealed within 516 bags of plaster of Paris cement in a 20-foot container numbered PONU 210024/1. 

Through sustained intelligence operations, Adeniyi said the Service intercepted two additional containers with registration numbers CMAU 189817/8 and GESU 255208/1 at Tincan Island Port, which similarly contained arms and ammunition hidden among sanitary wares.

“Today’s handover encompasses a total of 1,599 assorted arms and 2,298 live cartridges recovered from these operations,” Adeniyi said.

He added that the seizure coincided with heightened security challenges from armed bandits in the Northwest and the proliferation of illegal arms in the Southeast.

Providing details of the interception, Adeniyi said the Service deployed forensic capabilities to conduct detailed electronic analysis of Customs documentation and shipping records through established diplomatic channels.

He explained that the NCS partnered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to engage Turkish authorities, leading to the definitive identification of the purchasing company.

“The investigation trail, supported by financial records obtained through court orders in Nigeria, enabled us to establish the identities of those behind these illegal arms shipments,” he said.

Adeniyi further stated that, through strategic inter-agency cooperation, particularly with assistance from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, the Service successfully prosecuted the case.

He noted that the successful prosecution reinforces the NCS’s zero-tolerance stance on arms trafficking and validates the effectiveness of judicial collaboration.

Earlier, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, commended the synergy between the Office of the National Security Adviser and the 16 government arms-bearing agencies, particularly the Nigeria Customs Service.

Ribadu, represented by the Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, Johnson Babatunde Kokumo (DIG Rtd), emphasized that the NCS’s commitment is vital to the collective fight against the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons.

“I recall with pride the notable arms bust of July 2024 when the NCS intercepted 844 rifles and 112,500 rounds of live ammunition at Onne Port in Port Harcourt.

“The recovered weapons were promptly handed over to the Centre, and the suspects, including the principal actors, were arrested.

“Regarding today’s handover of intercepted illicit arms by the NCS, the Centre will take all necessary measures, in line with relevant conventions and best practices, to permanently remove these weapons from circulation,” Ribadu said.

He highlighted that since its establishment in 2021, the Centre has spearheaded multi-stakeholder initiatives to curb the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons.

The NSA stated that by effectively managing the entire lifecycle of small arms and light weapons — from registration and tracking to seizure and destruction — the Centre actively strengthens collective security and aligns with global efforts to combat the illicit arms trade.