Operatives of the Nigeria Custom Service, Tin-Can Island Command have impounded 1,100 pump action rifles. The weapons were reportedly smuggled from Turkey with a Bill of Laden that was disguised as cargo of wash hand basins. Briefing newsmen on Monday, the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Custom Service, Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd) who confirmed the seizure said that the weapons were fearfully concealed in a 1×20 ft container.
He said that the weapons were discovered by custom officers who were carrying out 100 percent examination of the container. The Command had already arrested a Customs officer suspected to have broken the seal of the container without following due process as well as a clerk of the command in connection with the discovery.
Recall that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) had in May this year, intercepted 440 pieces of riffles at Tin Can Island Port, Lagos.
Similarly, about three months before this time, the Federal Operations Unit of the service also intercepted 660 pieces of pump action rifles at Apapa port, also in Lagos. This bring to a total of about 2110 pump action rifles so far impounded in Lagos alone in the last seven months.
