TInCan: Customs Seizes 204 Pump-Action Rifles, Warns Arms Traffickers of ‘No Weak Links’
Kathy Kyari
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 204 MAS 49 ALTER MAGNUM pump-action rifles and several firearm components concealed among declared household goods at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, in another major intelligence-led operation against illegal arms trafficking.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this during a press briefing and handover ceremony at the Tin Can Island Port Command on Monday 31st August 2026.
According to Adeniyi who was represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General, Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, the seizure followed credible intelligence that led to the interception of a 20-foot container numbered TEMU 184536/9, which arrived from Turkey aboard the vessel MV Algeciras Express on August 16, 2026.
The container was flagged and subjected to 100 per cent physical examination on August 18, during which Customs officers discovered knocked-down firearm components concealed among declared used goods, including furniture, refrigerators, solar panels and detergent.
Further discrepancies were also found in the consignment documents, particularly regarding the identity of the consignee, with the matter now forming part of an ongoing investigation.
Following the discovery, the Customs Service assembled experts from its Armament Unit alongside officials of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) under the Office of the National Security Adviser to reconstruct the components.
The exercise resulted in the assembly of 204 pump-action rifles, with additional firearm components left over.
The recovered components included 54 barrels, 56 trigger groups, 56 pistol grips, 67 forward grip latches, 58 locking lugs, 53 charging handles, 55 pistol grip screws, 56 springs, 39 trigger pins, 38 forward grips and two U-plates.
Bomodi said the interception demonstrated the effectiveness of the Service's intelligence-led enforcement strategy and heightened surveillance at Nigeria's ports and borders.
He said the operation also underscored the importance of intelligence-sharing and collaboration among the NCS, the Office of the National Security Adviser 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.”
The DCG further warned smugglers, arms traffickers and their collaborators that the Service's risk-management systems, technological tools, profiling and inter-agency collaboration were making it increasingly difficult to move illegal firearms through Nigerian ports.
“Our risk management system is very robust and effective, there are no weak links in our architecture.”
He added that Customs would not only intercept illegal arms shipments but would pursue the networks responsible for moving them.
“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.”
The latest seizure comes barely weeks after another major arms interception at the Tin Can Island Port, where knocked-down firearm components were assembled into 399 pump-action rifles before being handed over to the NCCSALW.
The Customs Area Controller, Tin Can Island Port Command, Comptroller Joe Anani said the repeated seizures within the month sent a clear warning to those attempting to use the port as a route for prohibited goods.
“These repeated seizures send a clear message: the TinCan Island Port Command 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 our nation.”
Anani also commended the NCCSALW for its cooperation in assembling the seized components, describing the joint exercise as a practical demonstration of effective inter-agency collaboration.
He praised officers of the Command for their vigilance and commitment, noting that successful interceptions were the result of officers taking decisive action even under difficult circumstances.
The seized firearms and components have been secured and documented and will be formally handed over to the NCCSALW for appropriate statutory action.
The Customs Service also appealed to members of the trading public, particularly clearing agents, to provide credible information that could lead to the arrest of individuals involved in the illegal importation of firearms.
The Service further stated that such cooperation was essential to protecting lives, preserving national security and ensuring that Nigerian ports remained gateways for legitimate trade rather than channels for introducing instruments of violence into communities.
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