The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has successfully handed over 1,599 assorted arms and 2,298 live cartridges to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).
The arms, seized in 2018 from three containers at the Tin Can Island Port, were officially transferred to the NCCSALW on Thursday, 13 February 2025, at the Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’, Ikeja, Lagos.
In his speech,Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, emphasized that the handover demonstrates the NCS’s unwavering commitment to securing the nation’s borders and ensuring public safety.
“We will spare no resource in hunting down, exposing, and prosecuting anyone who attempts to compromise our national security through arms trafficking,” CGC Adeniyi stated.
He also commended the professionalism of the officers involved in the seizures and the Forensics Unit for their instrumental role in securing convictions, highlighting the Service’s dedication to upholding legitimate trade while safeguarding national security.
The Director-General of NCCSALW, DIG Johnson Babatunde (Rtd), received the arms on behalf of the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. DIG Babatunde assured that the weapons would be processed in full compliance with international conventions, reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons.
He also urged all stakeholders to remain vigilant and collaborate closely to ensure the country’s continued resilience against the threat of illicit weapons trafficking.
