The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has arrested an importer and a female clearing agent over the alleged illegal importation of 399 Jojef pump-action rifles smuggled through the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this on Monday during the formal handover of the seized firearms to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).
The latest recovery brings the total number of suspects arrested so far to about 11, with 21,399 firearms handed over to the NCCSALW to date.
In July 2026, the NCS had handed over 55 pieces of Jojef Magnum Tomahawk shotguns, 844 assorted prohibited firearms and 112,500 cartridges to the Centre. Those weapons were intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and Onne Port, Rivers State, on June 19 and 21, 2024, respectively. Eleven suspects, including Ali Samson Ofoma, Okechukwu Gabriel Charles and Ejiofor Jude Ogbu, were handed over for prosecution and remain in detention at the Nigeria Correctional Service facility while their trial continues at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Speaking at the handover ceremony at Tin Can Port, Adeniyi said the container conveying the 399 rifles arrived on July 8 aboard the vessel MV Velika and was flagged for inspection by the Customs risk management system.
He said the firearms had been dismantled and concealed in knocked-down form to evade detection. Examination and reassembly of the consignment led to the recovery of 399 fully assembled Jojef pump-action rifles and 535 assorted firearm components, including 89 frames, 80 charging handles, 57 trigger groups and 25 locking lugs.
Adeniyi said one suspect was arrested on July 31 at a bonded terminal while allegedly attempting to secure the container’s release. Both suspects have been remanded by the Federal High Court in Lagos, with arraignment scheduled for August 25.
He credited the seizure to the Service’s risk management system, noting that it reflected the impact of technology in identifying high-risk consignments. He said the Trade Modernisation Project’s B’Odogwu platform had replaced manual processes with automated clearance, risk management, cargo tracking and non-intrusive inspection, stressing that the goal went beyond revenue generation to enabling Customs to know which containers required scrutiny, since not every container can be physically opened.
The Customs chief warned that the Service would not allow Nigeria’s ports and borders to be exploited for illegal arms importation or any activity threatening national security, and cautioned that any officer found aiding such movements would face no protection from the Service.
Receiving the firearms, NCCSALW Director-General, Kokomo Johnson, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, said illicit small arms remained a major driver of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and insurgency in the country. He disclosed that more than 21,000 small arms and light weapons had been retrieved since the Centre’s establishment, with over 19,000 already destroyed.
He said the newly received weapons would be catalogued, profiled and documented to ensure accountability, with serviceable arms allocated for authorised state security use and obsolete or unserviceable firearms destroyed in line with national legislation and international best practices.
The NCCSALW called for stronger inter-agency cooperation, urging real-time intelligence sharing and continued promotion of civil disarmament and voluntary weapons surrender.
The Customs Service said investigations would continue, with ongoing court proceedings expected to reveal further details on the consignment’s origin, intended destination and any other persons connected to the alleged importation.
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