The Nigeria Customs Service has handed over 399 seized rifles and an assortment of firearm parts to the Office of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, in a major move against illegal arms trafficking in Nigeria.
The Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists on the seizure and subsequent handover of the weapons.
Adeniyi said the service had completed the coupling and detailed examination of the seized consignment at the Tincan Island Port Command, where 399 fully assembled Jojef firearms were discovered.
The shipment also contained several additional rifle components, including 89 frames, 16 heat shields, 10 trigger pins, three pistons, 25 locking lugs, 80 charging handles and 39 pistol-grip screws.
Other recovered items were 34 springs, 57 trigger groups, 66 foregrip latches, 45 foregrips or handguards, four pistol grips and five barrels.
The Customs boss warned that criminal networks could attempt to exploit Nigeria’s borders, seaports and airports to move prohibited items into the country as the nation approaches another major election cycle.
He assured Nigerians that the service would intensify surveillance and enforcement operations to prevent the smuggling of weapons and other prohibited items.
“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. We are going to redouble our efforts to ensure that we do not allow them to do so,” Adeniyi said.
He reaffirmed the NCS’s commitment to intelligence-led enforcement, stronger border surveillance and collaboration with other security agencies.
Adeniyi specifically highlighted cooperation with the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, under the Office of the National Security Adviser, to identify and dismantle arms-trafficking networks.
Following the completion of the inventory and assessment of the seized shipment, Adeniyi handed over the firearms to the Director-General of the NCCSALW under the NSA’s office.
The handover, according to the Customs Service, reflects the commitment of security agencies to removing dangerous weapons from circulation and ensuring that those behind the trafficking network are brought to justice.
Adeniyi also disclosed that the two suspects arrested during the preliminary investigation had been taken over by the Office of the National Security Adviser for further investigation.