By Oluwakemi Kindness
The Nigeria Customs Service has raised the alarm over possible attempts by criminal networks to smuggle illegal weapons into the country ahead of the next general elections.
The warning came on Monday as the service handed over 399 fully assembled rifles seized at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos to the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Customs Comptroller General, Adewale Adeniyi, said the service had intensified surveillance and enforcement at Nigeria’s borders, ports and airports to prevent the influx of prohibited weapons during the approaching election cycle.
Adeniyi said criminal elements were likely to exploit the period to move arms into the country, stressing that Customs would work closely with other security agencies to disrupt such activities.
The seized firearms, identified as Jojef rifles, were discovered during a detailed examination of a suspected arms shipment. The consignment also contained hundreds of additional rifle components, including frames, trigger groups, charging handles, foregrips and barrels.
Following the completion of inventory and assessment, the weapons were handed over to the Director General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons under the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Two suspects arrested during the preliminary investigation have also been taken over by the NSA for further investigation.
Adeniyi reaffirmed the Customs Service’s commitment to intelligence-led enforcement, stronger border surveillance and sustained collaboration with security agencies to dismantle arms-trafficking networks and keep illegal weapons out of Nigeria.
