Customs Names Importers Behind Seized 399 Pump-Action Rifles

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has identified Robert Eze and Ejiogu Godson as the suspects allegedly linked to the importation of 399 JOJEF pump-action rifles and firearm components seized at the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this on Monday in Lagos while handing over the seized weapons to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.

Adeniyi said the weapons were intercepted after a container arriving at the port aboard the vessel MV VELIKA on July 8 was flagged by the Customs risk management system.

According to him, the firearms had been dismantled and concealed in knocked-down form, a method he described as deliberate and intended to make the components less recognisable during cargo inspection.

He said the seizure was particularly significant given Nigeria’s security challenges, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and violent crime.

Adeniyi warned that hundreds of firearms falling into the wrong hands could pose a serious threat to communities and the conduct of democratic activities, especially as the country approaches another election season.

He explained that Customs could not physically open every container entering the country, making technology-driven risk assessment critical to identifying suspicious consignments.

The Customs chief said the service’s Trade Modernisation Project and the B’Odogwu platform had strengthened automated risk management, cargo tracking and non-intrusive inspection at the ports.

He stressed, however, that the seizure alone was not enough and disclosed that investigations had led to the arrest of two suspects.

According to Adeniyi, one of the suspects was arrested on July 31 at a bonded terminal while allegedly attempting to secure the release of the container containing the seized weapons.

He said both suspects had been remanded by the Federal High Court in Lagos, with their arraignment scheduled for August 25.

The seized weapons were subsequently handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons under the Office of the National Security Adviser.

Adeniyi said the sequence of interception, arrest, prosecution and transfer of the weapons demonstrated coordinated action among security agencies.

He commended officers of the Tin-Can Island Port Command for detecting the concealed firearms and urged Customs personnel to remain vigilant against attempts to use Nigeria’s ports and borders to smuggle arms.

The Customs boss said the service would continue strengthening its risk-management systems and collaborating with sister agencies to identify and stop individuals involved in illicit arms trafficking.

Receiving the weapons, the National Coordinator of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, retired DIG Johnson Kokumo, described the handover as an important step towards strengthening national security and protecting communities from the dangers posed by illicit firearms.