National Security: TinCan Customs Intercepts Another Cache of Fire Arms...Hands Over 204 Pump Action Rifles and Other Components To NCCSALW

Barely two weeks of handing over of 399 Pump Action Rifles to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons NCCSALW, the Nigeria Customs Service, TinCan Island Ports Command in it's quest for national security has yet again intercepted another cache of fire arms and it's components.

Disclosing this in Lagos yesterday, Monday 31 August, 2026, during a press briefing, the Comptroller‑General of Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi PhD, Mfr, who was represented by the  Deputy Comptroller‑General of Customs (Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection), DCG Timi Bomodi,  disclosed that 204 Pump Action Rifles and other Components concealed among household items where discovered during a 100 percent physical examination of a 20‑foot container which arrived from Turkey aboard MV Algeciras Express on August 16, 2026.

Giving details of the discovery, DCG Bomodi said, "100 percent physical inspection uncovered the rifles hidden among furniture, refrigerators, solar panels, and detergents. Customs enforcement team, working with officials of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), assembled the seized parts, which included 204 MAS 49 ALTER MAGNUM pump‑action rifles, 39 trigger pins, 58 locking lugs, 53 charging handles, 55 pistol grip screws, 56 springs, 56 trigger groups and 38 forward grips. Other rifle components in the seizure are 67 forward grip latches, 56 pistol grips, 54 barrels, and 2 U‑plates and assemblies".

DCG Bomodi, added that the current seizure is a further indication that the Service is maintaining heightened surveillance and intelligence-led enforcement against the illicit movement of firearms through the Nigerian  ports and borders.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Customs Area Controller of the command,  Comptroller Joseph Anani emphasized that the repeated interceptions of fire arms by the Nigeria Customs Service, especially TinCan Island command demonstrate the command’s resolve that smugglers of illegal firearms and prohibited items have no hiding place within the Tin Can Port

According to him, the “seizures send a clear message that  TinCan Island Port Command will not be a weak link in the enforcement of import prohibitions, particularly when it concerns dangerous items capable of threatening the peace and security of the nation. 

He warned perpetrators of these illicit trade to desist from the Nigerian Ports saying,  "Those who see our ports as an easy route for bringing prohibited and dangerous items into Nigeria should understand that they will not find a willing partner in the Nigeria Customs Service".

Comptroller  Anani appreciated the Comptroller-General for his leadership, encouragement and unwavering support to the Command, adding  that his commitment to strengthening inter-agency collaboration and securing Nigeria’s Ports and borders continues to inspire the Command.

He also acknowledged the unwavering support of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons for the tremendous cooperation it has consistently extended to the Command. “This collaboration has gone beyond mere words. Our armament units worked together, spending countless hours carefully coupling and assembling the knocked-down parts of these firearms to establish exactly what had been intercepted”, Anani stated.

He described the collaboration as a practical demonstration of what can be achieved when security agencies work together with a common purpose.

Comptroller Anani also commended the officers and men of the Tincan Island Port Command especially the Enforcement Unit for their vigilance, courage and dedication which made these seizures possible, saying, “Behind every interception there is an officer who has taken a decision to do the right thing, sometimes under difficult circumstances. I am proud of their bravery and commitment to duty".

The high point of the briefing was the official documentation and handing over of the seized Pump Action Rifles to the  National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons(NCCSALW) in the presence of the representatives of the Ports Manager of the the TinCan Island Ports, the Commissioner of Police, Nigerian Ports Police Command and other security agencies operating within the Ports for appropriate statutory action as requires by law.