The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has completed the coupling and examination of a seized arms shipment at the Tin Can Island Port Command, uncovering 399 fully assembled Jojef firearms and several additional rifle components.
The development followed an earlier disclosure by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, that the Service had intercepted a container containing concealed crates of knocked-down components initially identified as Jojef pump-action rifles.
The additional components recovered from the shipment include 89 frames, 16 heat shields, 10 trigger pins, three pistons, 25 locking lugs, 80 charging handles, 39 pistol-grip screws, 34 springs, 57 trigger groups, 66 foregrip latches, 45 foregrips or handguards, four pistol grips and five barrels.
Adeniyi had warned that criminal networks could attempt to exploit Nigeria’s borders, ports and airports to move prohibited items into the country ahead of the next general elections.
He said the Customs Service would intensify surveillance and enforcement operations to prevent such activities.
“We are about entering a major election cycle and we know that by this period, men of the underworld will want to use our borders, our ports, our airports to bring in items like this. We are going to redouble our efforts to ensure that we do not allow them to do so,” Adeniyi said.
The Customs boss said the latest seizure underscored the importance of intelligence-led enforcement and strengthened surveillance at Nigeria’s entry points.
He also reaffirmed the NCS commitment to working with sister security agencies, including the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), to identify and dismantle arms trafficking networks.
Following the completion of the inventory and assessment of the seized shipment, Adeniyi said the NCS was preparing to hand over the firearms and other recovered armaments to the NCCSALW.
He said the move was part of efforts by relevant security agencies to take illicit weapons out of circulation and ensure that those behind the trafficking network are identified and brought to justice.
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