The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), TinCan Island Port Command, has intercepted 204 pump-action rifles and firearm components illegally imported into Nigeria from Turkey.
The Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, announced the seizure at a press briefing held at the command on Monday.
According to Bomodi, the seizure followed credible intelligence that prompted Customs officers to flag a 20-foot container, numbered TEMU 184536/9, for 100 per cent physical examination.
The container, which arrived from Turkey aboard the MV Algeciras Express on August 16, 2026, was examined on August 18.
He said the container was declared to contain used household goods, including furniture, refrigerators, solar panels and detergent, but was found to contain knocked-down firearm components concealed within the cargo.
“Discrepancies were also discovered in the consignment documents, particularly regarding the identity of the consignee. Investigation into the shipment and those connected to it is ongoing,” Bomodi said.
He explained that experts from the NCS Armament Unit and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons assembled the components, leading to the identification of 204 MAS 49 ALTER MAGNUM pump-action rifles and additional firearm parts.
Bomodi said the seizure demonstrated the importance of intelligence-led enforcement, technology, cargo profiling and inter-agency collaboration in tackling illicit trade and arms trafficking.
“This operation underscores the importance of a whole-of-government approach. The items have been secured and will be formally handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons for statutory action,” he said.
The Deputy Comptroller-General said the Customs Service was not only focused on intercepting illicit consignments but was also targeting the networks behind arms trafficking in order to disrupt supply chains that fuel insecurity.
He added that illicit arms trafficking also disrupts legitimate businesses, increases insurance costs and distorts markets.
Bomodi commended officers and men of the TinCan Island Port Command for their vigilance and acknowledged the cooperation of sister agencies in protecting the nation’s trade infrastructure.
The Customs Service urged members of the trading public, freight forwarders and clearing agents to support its enforcement efforts by providing credible information on suspicious consignments.
“Protecting our ports is protecting jobs, investments and the economy. Illicit trade distorts competition and increases the cost of doing business for compliant traders,” Bomodi stated.
The Customs Area Controller of the TinCan Island Port Command, Joe Anani, said the interception reinforced the Service’s mandate to ensure that Nigerian ports remained channels for legitimate trade and economic growth rather than conduits for items capable of undermining national security.
“These repeated seizures send a clear message: the TinCan Island Port Command will not be a weak link in the enforcement of import prohibitions, particularly when it concerns dangerous items capable of threatening the peace and security of our nation,” Anani said.
He warned those seeking to use the ports to smuggle prohibited and dangerous items into the country that they would not find a willing partner in the Nigeria Customs Service.
The latest seizure, he said, further demonstrated the Service’s commitment to combating prohibited imports through digitalisation, risk management and a zero-tolerance approach to illicit trade.
