The Nigeria Customs Service has once again intercepted a major shipment of illegal firearms, this time seizing 204 pump-action rifles hidden inside a container from Turkey.

The seizure was announced at a press briefing at the Tin Can Island Port by Deputy Comptroller-General Timi Bomodi, who represented the Comptroller-General of Customs.

How the rifles were discovered

Following credible intelligence, a 20-foot container that arrived from Turkey on August 16, 2026, was flagged for inspection. On August 18, officers carried out a 100% physical examination of the shipment.

The search uncovered firearm parts concealed among declared used goods, including furniture, refrigerators, solar panels, and detergent. Investigators also found inconsistencies in the shipment documents, particularly regarding the identity of the consignee.

What was recovered

A joint team made up of the Customs Service’s Armament Unit and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons assembled the parts, which produced 204 MAS 49 ALTER MAGNUM pump-action rifles, along with hundreds of leftover components such as barrels, triggers, pistol grips, and springs.

Warning to smugglers

This comes just weeks after the Service intercepted a similar shipment of knocked-down firearm components that were assembled into 399 pump-action rifles in August.

Officials say the repeated seizures are evidence of the Service’s intelligence-led approach to stopping arms trafficking through the country’s ports. They warned that smuggling methods are becoming increasingly ineffective, and that collaboration between security agencies is making such schemes harder to pull off.

Customs Area Controller Compt Joe Anani warned that Tin Can Island Port will not be a weak link in enforcing import prohibitions, especially when it comes to items that threaten the nation’s peace and security.

The recovered firearms have been secured and will be formally handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.