Customs Seizes 204 Pump-Action Rifles Hidden Among Household Goods at Tin Can Port

The Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted 204 pump-action rifles concealed inside a container declared as used household goods at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, marking the second major firearms seizure recorded by the command within weeks.

The weapons were recovered from a 20-foot container numbered TEMU 184536/9, which arrived from Turkey aboard the MV Algeciras Express on August 16, 2026. Acting on intelligence, Customs officers flagged the container for examination and conducted a full physical inspection on August 18.

According to the service, the contents declared in the shipping documents did not correspond with what officers discovered inside the container. Knocked-down firearm components were allegedly concealed among furniture, refrigerators, solar panels and detergent.

Customs officials also identified discrepancies in the documentation, including questions surrounding the identity of the consignee. The issues are now part of an ongoing investigation.

The firearm components were subsequently examined and assembled by a joint team from the Customs Armament Unit and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).

The exercise resulted in the assembly of 204 MAS 49 Alter Magnum pump-action rifles. Officials also recovered additional firearm components, including trigger pins, locking lugs, charging handles, springs, trigger groups, grips and barrels.

The assembled rifles were formally handed over to NCCSALW, an agency under the Office of the National Security Adviser, with officials indicating that the weapons would not be allowed back into circulation.

The latest seizure comes only weeks after the Tin Can Island Port Command announced another major firearms interception involving 399 pump-action rifles.

That earlier shipment arrived at the port on July 8 aboard the MV Velika. Customs said officers recovered 399 Jojef pump-action rifles along with hundreds of additional firearm components. Two individuals were publicly identified and reported to have been arrested in connection with that consignment.

However, Customs has not confirmed whether the earlier seizure and the latest 204-rifle interception are connected.

Deputy Comptroller-General Timi Bomodi, speaking on behalf of Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said the latest interception was made possible through intelligence-led operations and targeted examination of suspicious consignments.

The repeated seizures have drawn attention to efforts by security agencies to prevent illegal firearms from entering Nigeria through maritime routes.

Nigeria continues to face security challenges involving violent crime and illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons. Authorities have repeatedly stressed the importance of strengthening intelligence gathering, cargo profiling and physical examination at the nation’s ports.

For now, Customs has not released a complete account of arrests specifically linked to the 204-rifle Turkey shipment.

The confirmed details are that the container was declared as used household goods, firearm components were discovered concealed among the declared items, 204 pump-action rifles were assembled, additional components were recovered, and the weapons were subsequently transferred to NCCSALW.

The latest interception underscores the continuing challenge faced by Nigerian authorities in preventing illegal firearms from entering the country through commercial cargo channels.