ARMS HAUL AT THE PTML; AS COMPT ANANI HANDS OVER WEAPONS TO NATIONAL CENTRE FOR ARMS CONTROL
By Timothy Paul Okorocha
In its determination to stamp out arms smuggling , the PTML today announced the interception of several sophisticated arms and ammunition.
At the handing over of the dangerous weapons to the South West Co-ordinator of the National Center for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Police Commissioner Mustapha Abiodun Alamutu (rtd), the Area Controller of the PTML, Compt Joe Anani said the handing over followed the approval by the Comptroller General, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, ‘under whose supervision these seizures were made’.
Anani disclosed that these dangerous seizures comprised of: i. Five (5) pistols of different make.. ii. One (1) Crossman pump master rifle.. iii. One hundred and thirty two (132) numbers of Remington live cartridges. iv. Fifty one (51) numbers of 9mm Lugar live ammunition.
Others include: v. Four (4) Numbers of 9mm magazines.. vi. Fouty (40) Numbers of 9mm, NIM FC 30-30 blank and hollow ammunitions. vii. One hundred and eighteen numbers (118) of 9mm empty shells.
According to him, these arms and ammunitions were uncovered in 25 different occasions by our officers during examination imported vehicles between 2022 to 2025.
He noted that these seizures are fallout of the collective due diligence of the command and other sister agencies in the port. We are using this occasion to reiterate that PTML remains a no go area for unlawful trade under any guise.
He said, as a command, they have an unshaken commitment to implement the Revised Kyoto Convention, which is a World Customs Organisation (WCO) instrument for trade facilitation while using available manpower and technology to exercise the required control for import and export trade.
He stated that under the NCS Modernisation Project, which began in this command, the Unified Customs Management System (UCMS) also known as B’Odogwu has raised the bar of their productivity. He is pleased to announce that this command will receive scanners soon as part of the modernisation project and our capacity to detect concealments, like these arms and ammunition would be greatly enhanced.
He equally used the opportunity to announce a revenue of more than N44.58 billion, two days before the end of January. “I must thank our compliant stakeholders for their cooperation at all times. You all are part of this command’s success story. Please keep it up. On revenue drive of the command, Two(2) days to the end of the month, the command collected a total of forty four billion, fifty eight million, eight hundred and forty nine thousand, four hundred and sixteen naira, sixty five kobo (₦44,058,849,416.65) surpassing forty billion, four hundred and ninety seven million, five hundred and ninety four thousand, two hundred and twenty three naira, eighty nine kobo (N40,497,594,223.89) collected in Jan, 2025 by three billion, five hundred and sixty one million, (N3,561,255,192.76), that’s 8.8% increase in revenue.”