The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted a total of 31 rifles and ammunition concealed in plastic drums and sacks of charcoal within the first two weeks of July 2023.
The Acting Comptroller General of NCS, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who is on a working visit in Lagos, made this known at a press briefing held in the state on Monday, July 17.
He stated that the Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU) in a joint operation with the Nigeria Police, Department of State Security (DSS) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), carrying out a 100% examination of a 40-ft container on the 5th of July, 2022 at the Ports & Terminal Multiservices Limited, uncovered 10 dangerous arms and ammunition concealed inside a plastic drum.
A breakdown of the concealed items includes three new Pump Action Rifles and one new unit of an armed rifle, six new different types of pistols including one new millennium G2 pistol; one new sarsilmaz SAR-9X pistol; one new Lugger Security-9 pistol; one new Taurus Banbridge G3C pistol; one new SCCY CPX-2 pistol, and one new Taurus (63 pistol). Others include 14 empty magazines and 442 rounds of live ammunition.
The Customs boss noted that two suspects have been arrested in connection with the seizure.
He said, “The clearing agent, Mr Shokunbi Olanrewaju of Shooler Global International Limited and Mr Joseph Nwadiodor, who was expected to take delivery of the container, are currently detained as suspects in connection with the seizure.”