CUSTOMS COMPLETES EXAMINATION OF TINCAN PORT ARMS SHIPMENT, UNCOVERS 399 JOJEF RIFLES
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has completed the coupling and detailed examination of a seized shipment at the Tin Can Island Port Command, uncovering 399 fully assembled Jojef firearms and a significant quantity of additional rifle components.
The discovery was announced on Sunday, 9 August 2026, following the completion of the inventory and assessment of the shipment. The development represents a major intervention by the Service in efforts to curb the illicit movement of arms into the country.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, had on Thursday, 6 August 2026, disclosed that Customs officers intercepted a container carrying concealed crates of knocked-down components preliminarily identified as Jojef pump-action rifles.
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Further examination of the shipment revealed 399 fully assembled rifles, alongside 89 frames, 16 heat shields, 10 trigger pins, three pistons, 25 locking lugs, 80 charging handles, 39 pistol-grip screws, 34 springs, 57 trigger groups, 66 foregrip latches, 45 foregrips or handguards, four pistol grips and five barrels.
Speaking on the seizure, the CGC warned that criminal networks could attempt to exploit Nigeria’s borders, ports and airports to move prohibited items into the country, particularly as the nation approaches another major election cycle.
“We are about entering a major election cycle and we know that by this period, men of the underworld will want to use our borders, our ports, our airports to bring in items like this. We are going to redouble our efforts to ensure that we do not allow them to do so,” Adeniyi said.
He reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to intelligence-led enforcement and enhanced surveillance across the country’s entry points, noting that Customs would continue to work closely with sister security agencies to disrupt the activities of criminal networks.
Adeniyi specifically highlighted the collaboration with the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), in strengthening efforts to identify, disrupt and dismantle arms-trafficking networks.
Following the completion of the examination and documentation of the seized shipment, the CGC disclosed that the NCS is preparing to hand over the recovered arms to the NCCSALW.
The handover is expected to further strengthen inter-agency efforts to ensure that the illicit weapons are taken off the streets, while investigations continue to identify and bring those responsible for the attempted trafficking to justice.
The seizure underscores the Nigeria Customs Service’s ongoing efforts to strengthen border security, prevent the movement of prohibited goods and protect national security, while sustaining the facilitation of legitimate trade.
If you want, I can also make it  more like a Nigeria Customs official press release, with a stronger headline, lead and institutional tone.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER 9TH AUGUST, 2026)
