Again, Tin Can Customs Intercepts Fresh 204 Pump-Action Rifles from Turkey
By DAPO OLAWUNI
The Nigeria Customs Service, Tin Can Island Port Command, has again seized a consignment of illegal firearms, this time 204 pump-action rifles smuggled in from Turkey, in what officials described as further proof of the Service’s intelligence-led war against arms trafficking through Nigeria’s ports.
The seizure was announced at a press briefing at the Tin Can Port on Monday by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi represented by Deputy Comptroller-Generall Enforcement Investigation and Inspection, DCG Timi Bomodi.
DAILY TREND recalls that on 18 August 2026, the Comptroller-General of Customs had personally visited the Command to announce the interception of knocked-down firearm components, which were subsequently assembled into 399 pump-action rifles and formally handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
Speaking on the latest seizure, DCG Bomodi said it has once again put the Service’s vigilance on display, describing it as the outcome of sustained intelligence gathering and the dedication of officers at the Command.
According to Bomodi, “Based on credible information gathered a 20-foot container with No. TEMU 184536/9, arrived from Turkey aboard vessel MV Algeciras Express on 16 August 2026, was flagged and subjected to a 100 percent physical examination on 18 August, 2026.”
He disclosed that a search of the container uncovered concealed weapon parts hidden among other goods.
“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,” Bomodi stated.
He added that investigators had also flagged inconsistencies in the shipment’s paperwork.
“Further discrepancies were also discovered in the consignment documents, particularly regarding 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 Command constituted a joint team drawn from the Nigeria Customs Service 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 components.
The exercise yielded a total of 204 MAS 49 ALTER MAGNUM pump-action rifles, in addition to a range of leftover parts, comprising 39 trigger pins, 58 locking lugs, 53 charging handles, 55 pistol grip screws, 56 springs, 56 trigger groups, 38 forward grips (hand guards), 67 forward grip latches, 56 pistol grips, 54 barrels and 2 U-plates.
Bomodi described the seizure as further evidence that the Service is sustaining heightened surveillance and intelligence-led enforcement against the illicit movement of firearms through Nigeria’s ports and borders.
The recovered items, he said, have been secured and documented, and will be formally handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons for appropriate statutory action.
According to him, the operation underscores the importance of intelligence-sharing and collaboration between the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, adding that this whole-of-government approach to tackling arms smuggling and related criminal activities at Nigeria’s ports and borders continues to prove effective.
DCG Bomodi used the occasion to reiterate the Comptroller-General’s warning to smugglers, arms traffickers and their collaborators that illegal arms will not find their way to the wrong end of the value chain, stressing that the space for concealment is becoming increasingly limited.
He said the Service’s risk management system remains robust and effective, with no weak links in its architecture, warning that those who believe 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.
He said the Service would continue to collaborate with relevant authorities to identify, intercept and investigate consignments that pose a threat to national security, stressing that the focus goes beyond the physical seizure of prohibited items to pursuing the networks behind such consignments.
“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,
DCG Bomodi subsequently handed over the seized arms to the representative of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, South West Zonal Director, CP Abiodun Alamutu (rtd)
Also speaking at the event, the Customs Area Controller, Tin Can Island Command, Compt Joe Anani said the repeated seizure has sent a clear message that Tincan Island Port will not be a weak link in the enforcement of import prohibitions, particularly when it concerns dangerous items capable of threatening the peace and security of the country.
“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 Nigerian Customs Service” he warned
