Barely three months after the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of the Nigeria Customs Service intercepted 660 pieces of pump action emanating from Apapa port, the customs has once again intercepted 440 pieces of the riffles at the Tin Can Island Port.
While displaying the guns to journalists at the Tin Can Island Command of Customs yesterday, Zonal Cordinator of Zone A' of customs, Assistant Comptroller General of Customs Monday Abueh said that the import originated from Turkey.
The guns were concealed inside a forty footer container with numbers PONU210024 (1) 22G1 carrying POP powder used for design of houses.
He said that the container was intercepted based on intelligence obtained by the Tin Can Island Customs Command. He added that the container was whisked away by customs even before declaration was made.
Already, he said that one suspect have been apprehended in connection with the seizure.
The customs was said to have arrested the container on Monday night and transfered it to its enforcement unit where other security agencies were called in to inspect it.
Speaking, Abueh said "these are pump action of various designs. Based on intelligence report of the Tin Can Island Customs under Controller Bashir Yussuf, he is one of our best officers, he was able to make use of the intelligence report made available to him and the container was identified and intercepted, there is no question of any officer releasing container here, it was intercepted even before declaration"
"We discovered that they used POP powder to conceal it in order to beat the customs checks"
"We have one defendant, but for the purpose of indemnity we don't intend to detain him for long because of security reason. As of the consignee, we are still keeping it under wraps because investigation is still ongoing"
"We have about 440 pieces coming from Turkey"
Abueh noted that investigations is ongoing and that the Customs lawyers would get to the root of the interception.
"Prosecution of matters like this in Nigeria involves a lot of time to push out the culprits but our lawyers have all what it takes to prosecute those involved"
In his part, Tin Can Island Customs Controller, Bashir Yussuf apart from the 440 pieces of pump action magnum brand, other accessories of the guns were found in the container.
He also said there were also Completely Knocked Down (CKD) of the pump action inside the said consignment.
Bashir said that some of the guns were manufactured in the US and some from Italy but mainly imported from Turkey.
"We have other accessories in this container, several parts dismantled but definitely to be reassembled (CKD). Investigations would go deeper so as to know where the factory for arms assemblage is located in Nigeria"
"Generally anytime we have interceptions like this, it requires a lot of intelligence and profiling of importers. The 21st century calls for that, you don't have to wait for things to start happening before you start working"
"POP is a very safe item to conceal weapons because it is not injurious to anyone it is mainly used after effect of building, it is an attempt to distract the customs attention, but whatever anyone might use, it would attract our attention"
Bashir said that Nigerians have been saved from the hazards of the riffle
Arms Container, not from Ports & Cargo
Meanwhile Sifax Group (Owners of Port and Cargo Handling Services located at Tin Can Port) has denied that the container in which the arms were loaded was cleared from its terminal.
In a statement sent to shipping position daily and which was signed by its corporate affairs manager, Mr. Muyiwa Akande, the company said its attention “has been drawn to a false news report being circulated by some online news media to the effect that a container load of arms was intercepted at a subsidiary of our company, Ports & Cargo Terminal, Tin Can Island Port, Lagos.
Let me quickly put on record that the news report is totally false, untrue and misleading. Our findings have shown that the said container was released from another terminal and was headed for an Off-Dock terminal, before it was intercepted by the Nigerian Customs Service on the port access road close to our terminal. Ports & Cargo terminal doesn’t own the port access road and how we are linked to this beats our imagination.
It is quite unfortunate that these media organizations published the false news report without making the slightest effort to balance it with our own side of the story.
We enjoin members of the press to uphold the highest standards of professionalism in the discharge of their duties in order to avoid the error of misinforming the unsuspecting members of the public”.
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