- Duty-paid value of the container is N4,171,710,000
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has arrested three suspects after it intercepted a shipment from Turkey containing 844 rifles and 112,500 rounds of live ammunition.
The NCS stated that a thorough investigation is underway to ensure that all those involved are brought to justice.
Upon physical examination on June 21, 2024, the container was found to contain the following items:
During a press briefing at Onne Port in Rivers State on Monday, where the items were seized, the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, detailed the confiscated arms and ammunition. These include 764 units of Tomahawk Jojef Magnum Black Pump Action Rifles, 10 units of VC Verney Caron Gunmakers Jojef Magnum Silver Pump Action Rifles, 50 units of VC Verney Caron Gunmaker Double Barrel Rifles, 20 units of VC Verney Caron Gunmaker Single Barrel Rifles, and Sterling High-Quality Live Ammunition.
The Comptroller General stated that the duty-paid value of the container is N4,171,710,000.
Additionally, he reported the seizure of eight other containers with falsely declared contents, including used clothes and cough syrup with codeine, with a total duty-paid value of N13,915,710,000.
Comptroller General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi commended the officers involved in the operation and issued a warning to others contemplating similar illegal activities. He emphasized that the Nigeria Customs Service will not tolerate actions that compromise the nation’s economy and security.