RismadarVoice Reporters
August 9, 2026
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has completed the examination of a seized container at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, uncovering 399 fully assembled Jojef firearms and hundreds of additional rifle components.
The discovery is part of an ongoing crackdown on the illegal movement of arms through Nigeria’s ports and borders, particularly ahead of the country’s next general elections.
The Customs Service said the detailed examination and inventory of the shipment were completed on Sunday, following the initial interception of the container containing concealed crates of suspected firearm components.
In addition to the 399 assembled rifles, Customs officials recovered a range of supplementary firearm parts.
The items included 89 frames, 16 heat shields, 10 trigger pins, three pistons, 25 locking lugs and 80 charging handles.
Other recovered components were 39 pistol-grip screws, 34 springs, 57 trigger groups, 66 foregrip latches, 45 foregrips or handguards, four pistol grips and five barrels.
The scale of the seizure has raised fresh concerns about the possible movement of prohibited weapons through Nigeria’s maritime entry points and their potential use by criminal networks.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, had disclosed the interception of the shipment on Thursday, saying the container contained concealed crates of knocked-down firearm components preliminarily identified as Jojef pump-action rifles.
Mr Adeniyi warned that criminal groups could attempt to exploit Nigeria’s borders, ports and airports to move prohibited items into the country as the nation approaches another election cycle.
He said the Customs Service would strengthen surveillance and enforcement operations to prevent the illegal importation of arms and other dangerous items.
According to him, the agency is aware of the heightened risks associated with election periods and will intensify efforts to prevent criminal networks from exploiting legitimate trade routes.
Following the completion of the examination, Customs said the seized weapons would be handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), operating under the Office of the National Security Adviser.
The planned handover is expected to ensure that the seized firearms are removed from circulation and properly secured by the relevant authority.
Mr Adeniyi also reaffirmed the NCS’s commitment to intelligence-driven enforcement and closer cooperation with other security agencies.
He said collaboration among agencies was necessary to identify and dismantle networks involved in arms trafficking while ensuring that legitimate commercial activities were not unnecessarily disrupted.
Beyond the seizure itself, authorities are expected to focus on tracing the origin, intended destination and beneficiaries of the shipment.
The Customs Service said efforts would continue to identify those responsible for attempting to bring the firearms into Nigeria and ensure that anyone found culpable faces the law.
The seizure comes amid persistent concerns over the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Nigeria, which security agencies have linked to various forms of criminality, including kidnapping, banditry, communal violence and other violent crimes.
The Customs Service said the latest operation demonstrates the importance of intelligence sharing and inter-agency cooperation in preventing dangerous weapons from entering the country.
With the weapons set for transfer to the NCCSALW, attention will now turn to the investigation of the shipment and the identification of the individuals and networks allegedly responsible for the attempted arms importation.
