Importer, clearing agent arrested over importation of 399 rifles

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has apprehended an importer and a female clearing agent for allegedly importing 399 firearms, specifically Jojef pump-action rifles, through the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos. The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, announced this during the handover of the seized weapons to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).

This marks the 11th arrest and adds to the 21,399 firearms already returned to the NCCSALW. The NCS had previously delivered 55 Jojef Magnum Tomahawk Shotguns, 844 assorted prohibited firearms, and 112,500 cartridges to the NCCSALW in July 2026. The illicit firearms were detected at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and Onne Port in Lagos on June 19th and 21st, 2024, respectively.

Adeniyi stated that the container containing the weapons arrived at the port on July 8 aboard the MV Velika and was flagged for inspection by the Customs risk management system. Examination of the consignment revealed 399 fully assembled rifles and 535 firearm components, including frames, charging handles, trigger groups, and locking lugs.

One suspect was apprehended on July 31 at a bonded terminal while attempting to retrieve the container. Both suspects have been remanded by the Federal High Court in Lagos, with their arraignment set for August 25. The seizure was attributed to the NCS's risk management system, highlighting the importance of technology in detecting high-risk consignments at ports.

Adeniyi assured that the administration's investment in technology, such as B’Odogwu, enables the targeting of specific containers for inspection. The NCCSALW Director-General, Kokumo Johnson, received the firearms, emphasizing that illicit small arms and light weapons contribute to terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, insurgency, and other violent crimes.

Johnson reported that over 21,000 small arms and light weapons have been recovered since the Centre's establishment, with more than 19,000 destroyed. The newly received weapons will be catalogued, profiled, and documented to prevent their return to criminal hands.