Tin Can Customs Intercepts 204 Pump-Action Rifles from Turkey
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Tin Can Island Port Command, has intercepted another consignment of illegal firearms, recovering 204 pump-action rifles allegedly smuggled into the country from Turkey.
The latest seizure, according to the Service, further demonstrates its intelligence-driven efforts to curb the trafficking of arms through Nigeria’s ports and borders.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed the seizure during a press briefing held at the Tin Can Island Port on Monday. He was represented at the event by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, DCG Timi Bomodi.
DAILY TREND recalls that on August 18, 2026, Adeniyi personally visited the Command, where he announced the interception of knocked-down firearm components. The components were later assembled into 399 pump-action rifles and officially handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
Providing details of the latest interception, Bomodi said the seizure reflected the Service’s sustained vigilance, intelligence gathering and the commitment of officers at the Command.
He explained that credible intelligence led Customs officers to flag a 20-foot container, numbered TEMU 184536/9, which arrived from Turkey aboard the vessel MV Algeciras Express on August 16, 2026.
According to him, the container was subjected to a 100 per cent physical examination on August 18 following the intelligence alert.
Bomodi said the examination revealed firearm components concealed beneath declared household and other goods.
“After thorough examination, the container was found to contain knocked-down firearm components concealed among declared used goods, including furniture, refrigerators, solar panels and detergent,” he said.
He added that discrepancies were also discovered in the documentation accompanying the shipment, particularly concerning the identity of the consignee.
“These discrepancies are part of the ongoing investigation into the shipment and those connected to it,” Bomodi stated.
Following the discovery, the Tin Can Island Command established a joint team comprising personnel from the NCS Armament Unit and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, under the Office of the National Security Adviser, to assemble the recovered firearm components.
The exercise resulted in the recovery of 204 MAS 49 ALTER MAGNUM pump-action rifles, alongside several other firearm components. These included 39 trigger pins, 58 locking lugs, 53 charging handles, 55 pistol grip screws, 56 springs, 56 trigger groups, 38 forward grips or hand guards, 67 forward grip latches, 56 pistol grips, 54 barrels and two U-plates.
Bomodi described the interception as another indication of the Customs Service’s intensified surveillance and intelligence-led enforcement aimed at preventing the illegal movement of firearms through the nation’s ports and borders.
He said the recovered weapons and components had been secured and properly documented and would be formally handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons for further statutory action.
The DCG also emphasised the importance of information sharing and cooperation among the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
According to him, the whole-of-government approach to combating arms trafficking and other criminal activities at Nigeria’s ports and borders has continued to produce positive results.
Bomodi further reiterated the Comptroller-General’s warning to smugglers, arms dealers and their accomplices that the Service would not allow illicit firearms to reach their intended destinations.
He noted that the increasing use of intelligence, technology, risk profiling and inter-agency cooperation was making it increasingly difficult for traffickers to conceal firearms in containers or disguise them as household goods.
He said the NCS risk-management framework remained strong, warning individuals involved in arms trafficking against attempting to exploit perceived loopholes in the system.
Bomodi stressed that Customs enforcement would not stop at the seizure of prohibited items but would also focus on identifying and investigating the networks responsible for their movement.
“Our objective is to expose the entire chain involved in the illicit movement of firearms from the source and shipment to the intended destination and beneficiaries,” he added.
The DCG subsequently handed over the seized firearms to the South-West Zonal Director of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, CP Abiodun Alamutu (rtd.).
Also speaking at the event, the Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Port Command, Comptroller Joe Anani, said the repeated interception of firearms had sent a strong warning that the port would not become a weak point in the enforcement of import prohibitions.
Anani stressed that the Command would continue to prevent the entry of prohibited and dangerous items capable of undermining national peace and security.
“Those who see our port as an easy route to bring prohibited and dangerous items to Nigeria should understand that we will not find a winning partner in the Nigeria Customs Service,” he warned.
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