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The Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted 399 fully assembled Jojef firearms and assorted rifle parts following a detailed examination of a seized shipment at the Tin Can Island Port Command.
The service disclosed this in a statement issued by its National Spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada, on Sunday in Abuja. Maiwada said the seizure was confirmed after Customs completed the coupling and examination of the arms shipment, which was initially discovered as crates of knocked-down firearm components concealed in a container.
He said the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, had earlier disclosed the interception of the container containing the concealed firearm components, which were preliminarily identified as Jojef pump-action rifles.
According to Adeniyi, the additional rifle parts recovered from the shipment include 89 frames, 16 heat shields, 10 trigger pins, three pistons, 25 locking lugs and 80 charging handles.
Other components recovered are 39 pistol-grip screws, 34 springs, 57 trigger groups, 66 foregrip latches, 45 foregrips or handguards, four pistol grips and five barrels.
Adeniyi expressed concern that criminal networks could exploit Nigeria’s borders, ports and airports to move prohibited items into the country, particularly ahead of the next general elections. He said the country was entering a major election cycle and warned that criminal elements could attempt to use the period to smuggle illicit weapons into Nigeria.
“We are about entering a major election cycle and we know that by this period, men of the underworld will want to use our borders, our ports, our airports to bring in items like this,” he said.
The Comptroller-General said the service would intensify surveillance and enforcement operations to prevent the movement of illicit arms and other prohibited items through Nigeria’s entry points.
He reaffirmed the NCS’s commitment to intelligence-led enforcement, stronger border surveillance and collaboration with sister security agencies to dismantle arms-trafficking networks.
Adeniyi specifically highlighted the service’s collaboration with the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, under the Office of the National Security Adviser, as part of efforts to safeguard national security.
The Comptroller-General said the interception demonstrated the commitment of security agencies to preventing dangerous weapons from entering circulation and ensuring that those behind the alleged trafficking network were identified and brought to justice.
