The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it has intercepted two container loads of guns and ammunition at Ports and Terminal Multi-Services Ltd (PTML) and Tin-Can Island Ports heading for the South-East region of the country.
Addressing the media in Lagos on Monday, Adewale Bashir Adeniyi, acting comptroller-general of Customs, said the discovery was made during a joint inspection exercise involving the Customs, Nigeria Police, the Department of State Security (DSS), and the National Drug Law Enforcement and Administration (NDLEA).
According to him, the ammunition, which was intercepted in the first two weeks of July, includes 31 various types of rifles and other ammunition coming to Nigeria from the United States.
Adeniyi said that one 40-foot container carrying 10 dangerous arms and various rounds of live ammunition were intercepted at PTML concealed inside plastic drums.
“The examination revealed the concealment of 10 dangerous arms and various rounds of live ammunition inside plastic drums. The details are, three new Pump Action rifles and one new unit of an armed rifle, six new different makes of pistols, one new millennium G2 pistol, one new sarsilmaz SAR-9X pistol, one new Lugger Security-9 pistol, one new Taurus Banbridge G3C pistol, one new SCCY CPX-2 pistol, and one new Taurus (63 pistols), 14 empty magazines, 442 rounds of live ammunition.”
The Customs boss said that two suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure.
“The clearing agent, Shokunbi Olanrewaju of Shooler Global International Ltd, and Joseph Nwadiodor, who was expected to take delivery of the container, are being detained as suspects in connection with the seizure,” he said.
Adeniyi added that within the same period, another 40-foot container was intercepted at Tin Can and 18 arms, packets of cartridges, and rounds of live ammunition hidden inside plastic drums were uncovered.
“The details are, six different makes of pistols, two Sar9 Sarsilmarz Pistols, one Ruger American Pistol, three Taurus G3c – Bainbridge Pistols), 12 different makes of rifles, Five Rz17hd Rifles, one Gamo Rifle, Five Pump Action Rifles, and one Rz17 Tactical Rifle), 10 packets of cartridges, two packets of 9mm ammunition, 100 rounds of 9mm Winchester ammunition, one carton of Frontier Cartridges, two packets of Buckshot ammunition.”
He added that during a routine patrol of officers of the Joint Border Patrol Team Sector 2 along the Owode/Ajilete axis of Ogun State, an unregistered Toyota Camry loaded with six sacks of charcoal, which was used to conceal three pump action riffles with 174 live cartridges were also intercepted.
Adeniyi said that the driver of the vehicle, who knew the content he was conveying vis-a-vis the attendant consequences of his action before the law jumped into the bush and escaped arrest.
He said that the investigation into the seizures is inconclusive.
The Customs boss added that the outcome of the investigations together with the seizures will be handed over to the appropriate authorities for further action.
“Illicit arms obtained by non-state actors have boosted the proliferation of small arms and ammunition across the country. This accounts for the increase in violent kidnappings, robberies, and mass killings in society,” he said.
