Ahead of the 2027 polls, eagle-eyed operatives have uncovered 399 fully assembled Jojef firearms and assorted rifle parts in crates of knocked-down components concealed in a container at the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos.
The discovery followed the detailed examination of a seized shipment at the by the Nigeria Customs Service of the Port Command, the National Spokesman, Abdullahi Maiwada, announced this in a statement 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 components concealed in a container.
He said NCS’s Comptroller-General(CG), Bashir Adeniyi, had disclosed the interception of the container containing the concealed firearm components, which were preliminarily identified as Jojef pump-action rifles.
Adeniyi said the additional rifle parts recovered include 89 frames, 16 heat shields, 10 trigger pins, three pistons, 25 locking lugs and 80 charging handles.
Others are 39 pistol-grip screws, 34 springs, 57 trigger groups, 66 foregrip latches, 45 foregrips or handguards, four pistol grips and five barrels.
The C-G said criminal networks could exploit Nigeria’s borders, ports and airports to move prohibited items into the country ahead of the next general elections.Law Enforcement
“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.
Adeniyi said the service would intensify surveillance and enforcement operations to prevent the movement of illicit arms and other prohibited items through the country’s entry points.
He reaffirmed the NCS commitment to intelligence-led enforcement, stronger border surveillance and collaboration with sister security agencies to dismantle arms-trafficking networks.
Adeniyi specifically cited collaboration with the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), in efforts to safeguard national security.
He said the seized firearms would be handed over to the NCCSALW following the completion of the inventory and assessment.
The C-G said the development reflected the commitment of security agencies to removing dangerous weapons from circulation and ensuring that those behind the trafficking network were identified and brought to justice.