Determined to ensure peace and harmony reign with an end to insurgency, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted over 1,500 arms and ammunition from smugglers and handed over the items to the office of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
As gathered, a total of 1,599 assorted firearms and 2,298 live cartridges were transferred to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) to prevent arms dealers from accessing it and trading them to bandits and other criminals in the country.
The development came days after the Customs through the Federal Operation Unit (FOU) Zone “A”, Ikeja, seized N4.2 billion worth of Donkey skin from smugglers who were about exporting them illegally out of the country.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, who handed over the arms to the NSA office on Thursday inside the FOU premises in Lagos, stressed that the efforts was part of the strategy to curb proliferation of illegal arms and ammunition.
Adeniyi disclosed that the service has the mandate of protecting national borders through targeted anti-smuggling operations and precise intelligence-driven interventions.
He stated that the seizure coincided with heightened security challenges from armed bandits in the North-West and illegal arms proliferation in the South-East, revealing the linkage between transnational smuggling networks and our domestic security challenges.
The handover of the weapons to NCCSALW, Adeniyi said, “symbolizes the service’s commitment to proper disposal of seized arms and highlights our resolve to rid our nation of illegal weapons. We will continue the ongoing collaborations with relevant authorities to strengthen our borders and protect our nation.
“In May 2018, the Service intercepted a significant cache of arms consisting of 440 pump action rifles and accessories, ingeniously concealed within 516 bags of Plaster of Paris (POP) cement in a 1x20ft container with number PONU210024/1.
“This seizure coincided with heightened security challenges from armed bandits in the North-West and illegal arms proliferation in the South-East, revealing the linkage between transnational smuggling networks and our domestic security challenges. Through sustained intelligence operations, we intercepted two additional containers – CMAU 189817/8 and GESU 255208/1 at Tin-Can Island Port, similarly concealing arms and ammunition among sanitary wares. Today’s handover encompasses a total of 1,599 assorted arms and 2,298 live cartridges recovered from these operations.
“Following this seizure, we deployed forensic capabilities to conduct detailed electronic analysis of customs documentation and shipping records. Through established diplomatic channels, we partnered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to engage the Turkish Embassy, leading to definitive identification of the purchasing company. The investigation trail, supported by financial records obtained through court orders, enabled us to establish the identities of those behind this illegal arms shipment.
“Through strategic inter-agency cooperation, particularly with the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, we successfully prosecuted the case (Suit No: FHC/L/339C/2018) before the Federal High Court in Lagos. The defendants – Great James Oil and Gas Limited, Ifeuwa Moses Christ, and Emeka Umeh Festus A.K.A (Amankwa) – were convicted on eight count charges.
“This prosecution success reinforces the Service’s zero-tolerance stance against arms trafficking and validates the effectiveness of our judicial collaboration. Our proven investigative and prosecutorial approach is currently being applied to recent seizures at the Port of Onne, where ongoing investigations continue to yield significant progress within established legal frameworks.
In his address, the National Security Adviser, Ribadu, who was represented by the Director General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, Johnson Babatunde Kokumo (retd) gave kudos to the leadership of Customs Service for its steadfast determination, which he said, was “key to our collective fight against the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons.
According to Kokomo, “I recall with pride the notable arms bust of July 2024 when the Nigeria Customs Service intercepted 844 rifles and 112,500 rounds of live ammunition at Onne, Port Harcourt. The recovered weapons were promptly handed over to the National Centre, and importantly, suspects including the principal suspect, Ali Samson Ofoma, along with nine accomplices (Okechukwu Gabriel Charles, Kingsley Mbibi, and Akinkuade Mayowa Segun among others) were subsequently arrested in Abuja and are now facing prosecution.
Their apprehension, he said, “underscores the critical role of our coordinated efforts and reinforces why agencies must continue channelling intercepted arms to the Centre.”
