The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has scored a major enforcement success at the Tincan Island Port Command in Lagos with the seizure of concealed pump-action rifle parts and cannabis-infused products with a duty paid value of N373.8 million.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, told newsmen at the Tincan Command that the seizures were a show of the intelligence-led strategy of the Service in combating smuggling and other transnational crimes.
One of the containers intercepted, TEMU 184536/9, had arrived Tincan Port on July 8 on board a vessel, MV VELIKA, Adeniyi said.
“The container triggered the Customs risk management system and was soon under close surveillance,” he said.
“A physical examination conducted at the Customs Enforcement Station revealed concealed wooden crates containing disassembled parts for JoJeff pump-action rifles,” he said.
“The recovered parts of the firearm are undergoing detailed technical assessment and inventory to establish the exact quantity and specifications,” said the Comptroller-General.
The probe into the consignment saw the arrest of a suspect on July 31, 2026 at the Migfo Bonded Terminal as he was allegedly attempting to facilitate the release of the container, he said.
Preliminary investigations, he said, showed documentary, financial and telecommunications evidence connecting the suspect to the consignee mentioned in the import documents.
Evidence included a N10,000 transfer from a company account associated with the consignee on the day of the arrest.
Adeniyi said two suspects were in custody while another principal suspect was on the run and being trailed by security operatives.
In a separate operation, Customs officers seized two 40-foot containers of cannabis-infused products hidden among other imported products.
The goods were hidden with the help of two used vehicles, two used pumping generators, polypropylene spunbond fabric, tubular batteries and thunder arrester cables.
“Recovered from the containers were 109 cartons of Delta-8 cannabis infused pre-roll cookies, 125 cartons of Delta-8 cannabis infused gummies and 73 cartons of cannabis infused cookies,” he stated.
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The Customs Service said the total street value of the cannabis products seized was N373,802,640.
“The seizures underscore the increasing sophistication of criminal networks who use legitimate trade channels to smuggle weapons and illicit drugs into the country,” Adeniyi said.
He assured that all those involved in the illegal shipments would be identified, apprehended and prosecuted as provided by the law.
The Comptroller-General praised officers and men of the Tincan Island Port Command and the Customs Enforcement Unit for their vigilance and professionalism, insisting that the Service remains dedicated to securing Nigeria’s borders while facilitating legitimate trade.