The Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted another consignment of 204 pump-action rifles at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, marking the second major seizure of firearms at the port in less than a month. The weapons, 204 MAS 49 ALTER MAGNUM pump-action rifles, were discovered in a 20-foot container imported from Turkey.
The container, with registration number TEMU 184536/9, arrived on 16 August 2026 aboard the vessel MV Algeciras Express. It was flagged for examination based on credible intelligence and subjected to a 100 per cent physical examination on 18 August. The rifles were concealed among declared used goods, including furniture, refrigerators, solar panels and detergent.
Following the discovery, the command assembled a joint team of experts from the Customs Armament Unit and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), under the Office of the National Security Adviser, to examine and assemble the components. The exercise yielded 204 pump-action rifles, alongside various leftover components including 39 trigger pins, 58 locking lugs, 53 charging handles, 55 pistol grip screws, 56 springs, 56 trigger groups, 38 forward grips, 67 forward grip latches, 56 pistol grips, 54 barrels and two U-plates.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, representing the Comptroller-General, Adewale Adeniyi, said the seizure demonstrated the effectiveness of the Service’s intelligence-led operations. He also disclosed that discrepancies were discovered in the consignment documents, particularly regarding the identity of the consignee, and that investigations are ongoing.
The latest interception comes barely two weeks after the Command intercepted another shipment of knocked-down firearm components, which were assembled into 399 pump-action rifles and handed over to the NCCSALW. That seizure, announced on 18 August, involved a similar concealment method. The pattern suggests a coordinated effort by trafficking networks to exploit Nigeria’s ports, using the same concealment methods and routes.
The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Joe Anani, said the repeated seizures demonstrate the Command’s resolve to prevent prohibited goods, particularly arms capable of threatening national peace and security, from entering the country. Receiving the seized items on behalf of the NCCSALW, its Southwest Zonal Coordinator, CP Abiodun Alamutu (Rtd), commended the NCS for preventing the weapons from reaching unauthorised persons.
The winners: the Nigeria Customs Service, which has demonstrated its capability to intercept illicit arms shipments; and the NCCSALW, which will ensure the weapons are properly disposed of. The losers: the arms traffickers, who have lost two major shipments in less than a month; and the Nigerian public, who face the ongoing threat of illicit weapons flooding the country.
Bottom Line: Two major arms hauls in one month. The traffickers are persistent. The Customs Service is pushing back. The question is whether the seizures are making a dent or just scratching the surface.