The weapons discovered to have being brought into the country from Turkey, were concealed inside a container, which Bill of Laden indicated it was conveying wash hand basins.
The seizure makes it the third in the year after the service had, in January, intercepted a container load of arm along Mile Two Expressway and the Tin-Can Island Command had also intercepted another container load of arm on May 23, 2017.
The first was by men of Federal Operations Unit Zone A, Ikeja, where a Mack truck with registration number BDG 265 XG, conveying a 17×40ft container with Number PONU/825914/3, loaded with 661 pieces of pump action riffles falsely declared as steel doors, was intercepted. The seizures were from China.
The second was the Tin Can Island Customs Command where 440 pieces of the riffles were intercepted. The rifles were from Turkey.
The 440 rifles were concealed inside a-forty footer container with numbers PONU210024 (1) 22G1 carrying POP powder used for design of houses.
The breakdown of the consignment were 100 pieces of black Tornado single barrel rifle, 75 pieces of silver magnum single barrel rifles, 50 pieces of alter pump action rifle, 225 pieces of black single barrel rifles, 164 pieces of rifle nozzle, 103 pieces of arms grips, 110 pieces of trigger, 113 pieces of arm guard, 107 pieces of bridge block, 122 pieces of Allen keys, 117 pieces of assemble butt and 516, 50kg bags of POP cement.
Surprisingly on September 6, 2017, the Tin-Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service Intercepted another 1,100 pump action rifles imported from Turkey.
The Comptroller-General of the service, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), who spoke on the seizures at a press briefing, frowned at the importation of arms into the country through Turkey.
He disclosed that all three containers of arms intercepted by the service earlier in the year were imported into the country through Turkey.
Ali said the 20-ft container had originally been declared to contain wash hand basins and water closets. He said: “On the 6th of September, 2017 operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service intelligence unit on a routine monitoring of activities across the terminals discovered a 1x20ft container with number, GESU2555208, which was not previously listed for examination positioned with other containers for the day’s examination.
“They also observed that the seal of this unlisted container had already been cut and padlocked. The container became suspect and had to be immediately transferred to the enforcement unit.”
The CG further disclosed that a Customs officer and a terminal clerk had been arrested in connection with the broken seal. Ali said: “Upon thorough examination, the container contained 600 pieces of Jojef Magnum Black Pump action; 300 pieces of Jojef Magnum silver Pump action and 209 pieces of Jojef Magnum Plastic Single Barrels Hunting Gun Pump Action Rifles.
“Importation of 1100 rifles at a time when the nation is undergoing some security challenges is a clear indication that there are indeed some elements who do not believe in the unity, peace and well-being of Nigeria”.
Speaking with one of our correspondents, the Public Relation Officer of the Nigerian Customs, Tin-Can Island Command, Mr. Uche Ejesieme confirmed the seizure. Ganiyu Obaaro, Anthony Nwakaegho & Joy Anyim
