It was indeed a month of several arms seizure as different types of dangerous weapons were seized by the Customs at the various seaports in Lagos.
Comptroller General of the Customs Service, Wale Adeniyi told news men today that during a joint operation with the Nigeria Police, the Department of State Security, the National Drug Law Enforcement and Administration as well as the Customs intelligence unit at the Ports Terminal and Multi Service Limited Command, a thorough physical examination of a 40ft container revealed the concealment of 10 dangerous arms and various rounds of live Ammunition inside plastic drums.
They include 3 new pump Action rifles and one new unit of an armed rifle, 6 new different makes of pistols, comprising of one new millennium G2 pistol, one new sarsilmaz SAR-9X pistol and one new Lugger security-9 pistol.
Others are one new Taurus Banbridge G3C pistol, one new SCCY CPX-2 pistol and one new Taurus (63 pistol). Other Ammunitions include 14 empty magazines and 442 rounds of live Ammunition.
The clearing agent, one Mr Shokunbi Olarenwaju of Shooker Global international Ltd and MrJoseph Nwadiodor, who was expected to take delivery of the container are already in custody in connection with the seizure.
The Customs boss stated that within the same period, the Tin Can Island command of the service, while acting on intelligence, also subjected a 40ft container to 100 per cent examination with relevant security agencies in the ports. According to him, the physical examination uncovered 18 arms, packets of cartridges and rounds of live Ammunition inside plastic drums.
Six different makes of:
(1) Two (2) Sar9 Sarsilmarz Pistols(
2) One (1) Ruger American Pistol And
(3) Three (3) Taurus G3c – Bainbridge Pistols).
12 different makes of riffles :
(1) Five (5) Rz17hd Rifles,
(2) One (1) Gamo Rifle,
(3) Five (5) Pump Action Rifles And
(4) One (1) Rz17 Tactical Rifle)
10 packets of cartridges
d. 2 packets of 9mm ammunition
e. 100 rounds of 9mm Winchester ammunition
f. 1 carton of Frontier cartridges
g. 2 packets of Buckshot ammunition
Again, during a routine patrol along Owode/Ajilete Axis of Ogun State by officers of the Joint Border Patrol Team Sector 2, on Wednesday 12 July 2023, intercepted an unregistered Toyota Camry loaded with six sacks of charcoal, which was used to conceal three (3) pump action riffles with 174 live cartridges.
The driver of the vehicle, who knew the content he was conveying vis-a-vis the attendant consequences of his action before the law; jumped into the bush and escaped arrest.
In summary, a total of thirty-one (31) rifles were intercepted within the first two weeks of July 2023.
Investigation into the seizures is inconclusive. The outcome of our investigations together with the seizures will be handed over to the appropriate authorities for further investigation and prosecution.
Illicit arms obtained by non-state actors have boosted the proliferation of small arms and ammunition across the country. This accounts for the increase in violent kidnappings, robberies, and mass killings in society.
Let me state at this point that the Service has re-strategized its operations, while our officers have raised their levels of professionalism, and have keyed into the mantra of renewed hope aimed at facilitating legitimate trade. In doing this, we are assuring all compliant traders and importers that they have nothing to fear.
We have re-injected new tactics to tackle the economic and security menace caused by recalcitrant importers and their agents. The Service’s human resources and logistics are collectively harnessed to combat and prevent economic sabotage.
I implore importers and agents to be patriotic by making sincere declarations, and to be properly guided by the import/export prohibition lists. I also urged the public to see security as a collective responsibility. We will appreciate information of illegal importation and cross border movement of dangerous weapons used to create mayhem in our nation.
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, since assuming the role of Acting Comptroller General, our dedicated officers and men have demonstrated unwavering commitment to their responsibilities. Their diligence and perseverance have been the cornerstone of our operations. Our actions within the NCS have been driven by a deep sense of purpose and guided by the mantra of renewed hope, which underpins the current administration’s vision. We recognize the significance of our role in contributing to the overall objectives of the President Tinubu led Administration, as articulated in the Road Map of the Policy Advisory Council document. The declaration of a state of emergency in revenue generation and national security has further aligned our activities with the government’s overarching goals.
Pursuant to this commitment, I stand before you today to highlight the recent achievements of the NCS in our ongoing efforts to suppress smuggling and safeguard national security. Some of our dedicated and diligent officers uncovered some smuggled arms and ammunition while on duty at various Commands and formations.
Thank you for your attention