- The arms and ammunition were reportedly skillfully concealed within items such as doors, furniture, plumbing fittings, and leather bags
The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons announced that the large cache of arms and ammunition intercepted by the Nigerian Customs Service will be destroyed after completing documentation.
The centre confirmed that the customs authorities had handed over the weapons to them.
During one of its operations, Nigerian Customs intercepted a 40-foot container in Port Harcourt, which was loaded with 844 rifles and 112,500 live rounds of ammunition.
The arms and ammunition were reportedly skillfully concealed within items such as doors, furniture, plumbing fittings, and leather bags.
The intercepted container originated from Turkey and had a duty-paid value of N4 billion.
In a statement on Monday, Group Captain Pius Okwuego, the centre’s Director of Strategic Communications and Information, said the handover of the seized weapons took place in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State.
“The Nigerian Customs Service, under the leadership of Comptroller General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, officially handed over the seized arms and ammunition to the NCCSALW today in Port Harcourt.
“This transfer is a significant step in the collaborative efforts between national
security agencies to safeguard Nigeria’s borders and public safety,” the statement read.
Okwuego noted that the National Coordinator of the Centre, Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Johnson Kokumo (retd.), said the weapons would be destroyed to prevent them from constituting a threat to society.
“This seizure is a testament to the
unwavering contributions of the Nigerian Customs Service to protect our nation from the dangers posed by illicit arms. The NCCSALW will ensure
that these weapons are properly documented and destroyed to prevent them from ever posing a threat to our society,” Kokumo was quoted as saying.
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