2027 ELECTION: Customs seizes another 204 firearms at Tincan Port

By Saheed Olatunji, Reporter

Barely three weeks after Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi showcased seized weapons at Tincan Island Port, the Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted another 204 firearms and parts at the port as the 2027 general elections are fast approaching.

Today, Deputy Comptroller General Timi Bomodi announced the seizure of ammunition discovered in a 20-foot container at the Tincan Island Port Command in Apapa, Lagos. The container (No. TEMU 184536/9) arrived from Turkey on August 16, 2026, aboard the vessel MV Algeciras Express.

According to DCG Bomodi (Enforcement, Investigation, and Inspection), the seizure resulted from credible intelligence. The container was flagged and subjected to a 100% physical examination on August 18, 2026

He said after thorough examination, the container was found to contain knocked-down firearm components concealed among declared used goods, including furnitures, refrigerators, solar panels and detergent.

Adding that further discrepancies were also discovered in the consignment documents, particularly regarding the identity of the consignee as these discrepancies were part of the ongoing investigation into the shipment and those connected to it.

According to him, the Command immediately put together a team of experts from the Nigeria Customs Service Armament Unit and that of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Lights weapons, under the Office of the National Security Adviser, to carry out the assembling of these component parts and a total of 204 MAS 49 ALTER MAGNUM pump-action rifles alongside various numbers of left-over components were uncovered.

The various leftover parts were listed below: 39 trigger pin, 58 locking lugs, 53 charging handle, 55 pistol grip screws, 56 springs, 56 trigger group, 38 forward grip (hand guard), 67 forward grip latch, 56 pistor grip, 54 barrel and 2 U – plate.

“You will recall that, on the 18 August 2026, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, PhD MFR psc (+) paid a working visit to this Command, during which he briefed members of the press on the landmark interception of  knocked-down components of firearms. Those firearm components were subsequently assembled into 399 pump-action rifles, and were officially handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.

“The activities of these agents of darkness have once again necessitated our gathering here today and I am glad to inform you that once again, the efforts and commitment of our brave and dedicated officers have made good to triumphed evil.

“The current seizure is a further indication that the Service is maintaining heightened surveillance and intelligence-led enforcement against the illicit movement of firearms through our ports and borders.

“The items have been secured, documented and will be formally handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons for appropriate statutory action. This operation underscores the importance of intelligence-sharing and collaboration between the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies. This whole of Government approach to the menace of arms smuggling and other criminal activities at our ports and borders has proven to be very effective as attested to by this seizure,” said Bomodi.

He reiterated the warning of the CGC to smugglers, arms traffickers and their collaborators that illegal arms will not find its way to the wrong end of the value chain and the space for concealment is becoming increasingly limited. “Our risk management system is very robust and effective, there are no weak links in our architecture, so, those who believe that firearms can be disguised as household goods, concealed in containers or imported through false or inconsistent documentation should understand that intelligence-led enforcement, technological tools, profiling and inter-agency collaboration are making such schemes increasingly difficult to execute.

“The Service will continue to collaborate with all relevant authorities to identify, intercept and investigate consignments that pose a threat to national security. We will also pursue the networks behind such consignments and not merely focus on the physical seizure of the prohibited items. 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.

“We also encourage members of the trading public, especially the clearing agents who may have any information that can lead to the arrest of would-be importers of these items to come forward. Their assistance in this regards should be considered a patriotic duty,” said he.