The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja, has intercepted a cache of firearms, 4,841 rounds of ammunition and two industrial drones in coordinated operations across Ogun and Ondo states.
The Customs Zone A comptroller, Mohammed Shuaibu, disclosed the seizures on Tuesday in Lagos during a press conference.
Shuaibu said that the operations were carried out on the basis of credible intelligence, and executed with precision by his officers.
“On August 7, at about 2:13a.m, a patrol team intercepted a Nissan Almera vehicle along the Ilara bush paths near the Ogun border.
“The occupants abandoned the car and fled into the forest, leaving behind a deadly cargo concealed under bales of second-hand clothing and cartons of spaghetti.
“A thorough search revealed 15 assorted rifles, including 14 JOJEF Magnum semi-automatic firearms of Italian origin and one Mossberg pump-action shotgun made in the United States.
“Also recovered were 4,841 rounds of live ammunition, two bales and one sack of second-hand clothing, and two cartons of spaghetti,” he said
Shuaibu said that in a separate operation on Aug. 9, another patrol team along the Akure-Ore axis in Ondo State intercepted a Volkswagen Sprinter bus carrying two industrial drones packed inside a wooden box.
According to him, one suspect was arrested after failing to present proper documentation for the drones.
The comptroller said that duty paid value (DPV) of the seizures, including the firearms, ammunition, drones, and other goods, was estimated at N377.11 million.
He said that the arrests demonstrated the service’s determination under Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, to disrupt the operations of non-state actors and secure Nigeria’s borders.
He said that the importation of arms, ammunition or drones required valid permits and an End User Certificate from the Office of the National Security Adviser.
According to him. any deviation is a direct assault on national security and will be met with swift and decisive action.
Shuaibu, however, said that the smugglers evaded arrest during the operations, adding that, Shuaibu efforts are being intensified to apprehend them.
When asked on the public perception of the operation without suspects, the comptroller stressed that the smugglers knew they were carrying smuggled items so they prepared to flee.
He said that the seized arms and ammunition were handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) for further investigation and prosecution.
Shuaibu urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities in their communities, noting that public cooperation was crucial in the fight against criminality.
The Zonal Coordinator, South-West of NCCSALW, Commissioner of Police (CP), Abiodun Alamutu, (retired), commended the customs for handing over the illicit arms to NCCSALW.
Alamutu said that one illicit arm was enough to course damage to the country.
He said that NCCSALW was mandated to retrieve illicit arms from security agencies across the country.
“The National Centre for the control of small arms and light weapons is saddled with the collection, storage, destruction, management and stockpiling of obsolete, seized, and illegally held small and light weapons.
”It is the only agency mandated to retrieve all recovered Illicit arms from all security agencies across the country. Nigeria should be conscious of illicit arms.
“The handing over is a collective effort of the two agencies, and we pray the synergy continues,” he said.
