Customs Handsover 399 JOJEF Pump-Action, 535 Assorted Component Parts to NCCSALW, Arraign 2 Suspects.

By Stella Okocha 

The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has handed over 399 JOJEF Pump-Action, 535 Assorted Component Parts to the National Centre For The Control Of Small Arms And Light Weapons (NCCSALW)

During the handing over ceremony yesterday, the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, told the press and stakeholders present that the meeting was a continuation of the previous press briefing that was held when the seizure was first announced.

According to the CGC, “When we met the press on the 6th of August, we told you the interception had been made, but that the examination and coupling were still going on. That work is now finished, and this is the result. Three hundred and ninety-nine fully assembled JOJEF pump-action rifles. Five hundred and thirty-five assorted component parts, among them 89 frames, 80 charging handles, 57 trigger groups and 25 locking lugs. Every item counted. Every item documented. Nothing left in doubt”.

“Look carefully at what is laid out on these tables. Three hundred and ninety-nine rifles. Somebody paid for them. Somebody arranged their shipment. Somebody was waiting at this end to collect them. And somebody, somewhere in this country, was going to be on the wrong end of them. That is what we have gathered this morning to hand over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons”, he said.

CGC Adeniyi also emphasized that a seizure by itself proves very little, and based on critical and thorough investigation, two suspects are now in custody, one of them was arrested on the 31st of July at a bonded terminal, while he was attempting to procure the release of this very container. Both suspects are remanded by the Federal High Court in Lagos, and arraignment is set for the 25th of August.

“Today the weapons themselves pass into the custody of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, under the Office of the National Security Adviser. Hear that sequence in full, because it is the whole point of this gathering. The weapons were intercepted. The importers were arrested. They stand before a court of law. And the arms are being surrendered to the national authority responsible for them. That is not an incident. That is a chain, and every link in it is held”, Adewale said.

Adewale also shed more light on the interception of the seizure. He said on the 8th of July, 2026, the container arrived at Tin Can Island Port aboard the vessel MV VELIKA.

According to the Customs boss, It was not opened because somebody had a suspicion, or because an officer happened to be passing, but It was opened because their risk management system flagged it.

He mentioned that Inside were firearm components, taken apart and hidden in knocked-down form. “That is a deliberate method. It is chosen for one reason only, which is that a rifle in pieces does not look like a rifle, he said.

Speaking on the ongoing concerns of the nation, Compt General Adewale said, “Now consider what that quantity of weapons would have done. Our country is contending with terrorism, With banditry, With kidnapping. With violent crime that has entered too many homes in this country; and not one of those afflictions can be carried out without a weapon in somebody’s hand. Weapons like these are not made in Nigeria. They are made elsewhere, and they reach us through the ports, the borders and the airports that this Service is charged with guarding.

“We are also approaching another electioneering season, and I do not need to describe to this audience what several hundred firearms in the wrong hands would mean for the peace of our communities or for the conduct of our democracy. I will say only this: that consignment did not reach its destination, and the officers of this Service are the reason”.

He added that he is aware that there is a great deal of commentary at present, both home and abroad, about violence in Nigeria and about what the institutions are or are not doing in the face of it. “I do not intend to enter that argument this morning. I would say only that institutions are judged by their conduct, and that conduct is a matter of record. What stands on the record today is three hundred and ninety-nine rifles that will never be fired in this country, two men before a court, and a handover taking place in the open, before the press, with nothing withheld. We are content to be judged on that”, CGC said.

He reaffirms that he has no doubt about where this Service stands, and they will not allow the ports and borders of the country to be used to bring in arms, or anything else that threatens the safety of Nigerians.

In his words,” Our officers will stay vigilant. We will sharpen our intelligence. We will strengthen our risk systems. And we will work shoulder to shoulder with our sister agencies to find the people who attempt this and to stop them. And I say one thing to our own personnel, as plainly as I say it to anyone outside this Service: the officer who lends himself to this trade, or who uses his position to ease the passage of such goods, will find no shelter with us.

Speaking of the process through which the container was detected, CGC said the container was found because of a system, and that system exists because this current administration chose to invest in it. He said “Under the Trade Modernisation Project we have replaced manual processes with B’Odogwu, which brings clearance, automated risk management, cargo tracking and non-intrusive inspection onto a single platform. The purpose of that investment was never revenue alone. We cannot open every container that enters this country, and no customs administration anywhere in the world can. What technology gives us is the ability to know which container to open. What you are looking at this morning is that capability is doing precisely what it was built to do”.

He acknowledged and appreciated the efforts of the men and officers of Tin Can Island Port Command, stating that “Whoever packed this consignment took great care to hide it, but It was found anyway, because our systems worked and because the officers did their duty”.

NCS boss also thanked the NCCSALW for the cooperation they continue to enjoy. He said nobody does the work alone, It is done by institutions that share what they know, that trust one another, and that are willing to place their own mandates beneath the security of the nation.

“Let me end where I began, with the tables in front of us. Every firearm we stop before it reaches the wrong hands is a life that may have been saved. We will never know whose life it was. We will never meet that person, and that person will never know our names. That is exactly why this work matters, and why it will continue. The Nigeria Customs Service remains committed to the protection of our borders, and to the shared effort of making this country safer” Adewale said.

In the same spirit of inter-agency cooperation, Adewale briefly acknowledged another significant seizure of two 40-foot containers were intercepted containing illicit cannabis-infused products concealed among other imported goods, made by the Service at Tin Can Island Port.

The seizures comprised Delta-8 cannabis-infused pre-roll cookies, Delta-8 cannabis-infused gummies and cannabis-infused cookies, with a combined street value of ₦373,802,640.

The illicit substance was formally handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for further investigation and other actions within its statutory mandate.

Responding, the National Coordinator of the NCCSALW, Johnson Kokumo, revealed that the Centre has received more than 21,000 Small Arms and Light Weapons from the Nigeria Customs Service since its establishment.

He added that more than 19,000 of the weapons had already been destroyed, and Kokumo has described the handover of the 399 rifles as a significant step in the fight against the proliferation of illicit firearms and the protection of lives and property across the country.

He commends the Comptroller-General of Customs and officers of the Service for their continued cooperation with the NCCSALW in recovering illicit weapons during enforcement operations.

In his words, “removing illicit weapons from the hands of non-state actors represents a direct blow to criminal networks and an important step towards safeguarding innocent citizens”.

He assured that the firearms handed over to the Centre would be properly managed, documented and accounted for to ensure that they do not find their way back into the hands of criminal elements He also disclosed that the NCCSALW would immediately catalogue, profile and document every weapon received during the handover.

The NCCSALW Chief revealed that serviceable weapons required for authorised state security use would be properly accounted for, while obsolete, illegal and unserviceable firearms would be destroyed in accordance with established procedures.

He further assured that the management of the weapons would be carried out in compliance with national legislation and relevant international and regional frameworks on the prevention and control of illicit small arms and light weapons.

“The handover marked another significant collaboration between the Nigeria Customs Service and the NCCSALW in the fight against the illegal movement and proliferation of firearms in Nigeria”he said.

Welcoming the CGC and other dignitaries, the Controller of the TinCan island Port Command, Comptroller Joe Anani, said the occasion is significant because it demonstrates the collective commitment to strengthening national security and ensuring that arms and other controlled items are properly accounted for and managed in accordance with the law.

He added that handing over represents more than a transfer of items, It is a symbol of inter-agency cooperation, accountability, and shared responsibility to protect the peace and security of our nation.

On behalf of the officers of the Command, he appreciates the CGC B.A Adeniyi for his leadership and for making this important engagement possible. He also appreciates the NCCSALW for its continued partnership.

In his words, “The Nigeria Customs Service remains committed to supporting the Federal Government’s efforts to combat the illicit movement and proliferation of small arms and light weapons. We recognize that effective border management requires not only enforcement, but also strong collaboration among all relevant security and regulatory agencies”.