The Sea Empowerment & Research Center (SEREC) has urged the Federal Government to go beyond intercepting illegal firearms at Nigerian ports by tracing the entire supply chain and stopping weapons before they leave their countries of origin.
The call followed the recent interception of 204 firearms and firearm components concealed among declared household goods at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). The consignment originated from Turkey.
In its end-of-month advisory bulletin issued on August 31, 2026, SEREC commended the Tin Can Island Port Command for the intelligence-led operation but said the seizure should serve as a national security intelligence signal requiring a broader investigation.
The centre said the repeated discovery of Turkey-origin firearms warranted renewed source-country intelligence and closer cooperation between Nigerian and Turkish authorities.
It, however, clarified that its recommendation was not an accusation against the Turkish government, customs authorities or legitimate Turkish businesses.
According to SEREC, the latest seizure, coming weeks after firearm components intercepted at the same port led to the recovery of 399 pump-action rifles, should prompt authorities to revisit previous investigations into Turkey-linked arms trafficking.
“The present pattern makes it necessary to establish what became of those investigations, what intelligence was exchanged and what corrective measures resulted,” SEREC said.
The organisation called on the government to trace every stage of the supply chain, including the source, exporter, financier, consolidator, freight forwarder, shipping line, vessel, transit route, consignee and ultimate beneficiary.
SEREC also urged authorities to include shipping lines and maritime logistics operators in risk-based investigations, stressing that the recommendation was not an allegation against any particular carrier.
“Every major seizure should therefore become a network investigation, not simply a seizure report,” the organisation said.
It said the ultimate objective should be to identify and dismantle the criminal networks behind illegal arms shipments.
SEREC further called for a Turkey-Nigeria arms trafficking prevention and trade security mechanism involving customs, security, intelligence, financial and maritime authorities in both countries.
It also advocated the development of an AI-enabled shared trade-security intelligence system capable of connecting information on shippers, exporters, consignees, containers, vessels, countries of origin, transshipment points, declarations and previous seizures.
According to the organisation, such an interconnected system could enable authorities to identify patterns that may remain hidden when individual transactions are examined separately.
SEREC commended Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and NCS management for their focus on intelligence-led enforcement, technology, risk management and inter-agency cooperation.
It also praised officers at Tin Can Island Port, Apapa, FOU, Ogun/Idiroko and Seme for their efforts against smuggling and illicit trade.
The centre called for improved intelligence, technology, funding, training, welfare and protection for frontline personnel.
It said success should ultimately be measured not by the number of firearms intercepted but by the number of trafficking networks disrupted.
“Catch the cargo but pursue the chain. Stop the shipment but secure the source. Deploy AI but connect the intelligence. Commend the officers but protect the protectors,” it said.
SEREC’s five-point advisory includes reopening and reviewing previous Turkey-linked arms investigations, establishing a source-country intelligence mechanism with Turkey, investigating the financial and logistics chains behind illegal consignments, deploying AI and shared intelligence to identify recurring cargo and routing patterns, and turning every major arms seizure into a network-disruption investigation.
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