Nigeria Customs Service Hands Over Seized Firearms and Ammunition to NCCSALW in Major Security Boost

 

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), through its Port and Terminal Multi-Services Limited (PTML) Command, has formally handed over a cache of intercepted firearms and ammunition to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW). The handover, which took place recently in Lagos, underscores ongoing inter-agency collaboration to combat the proliferation of illicit arms and strengthen national security.

The seized items, intercepted during vehicle examinations between 2022 and 2025 across 25 separate occasions, included:

Five pistols of various makes

One Crossman Pump Master rifle

132 rounds of Remington live cartridges

51 rounds of 9mm Luger ammunition

Four 9mm magazines

40 rounds of assorted 9mm blank and hollow ammunition

118 empty 9mm shells

Comptroller Joe Anani, the Customs Area Controller (CAC) of PTML Command, handed over the items on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi. “On behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, I hereby formally hand over these seizures to the NCCSALW for appropriate action,” Anani stated during the ceremony.

The items were received by CP Mustapha Abiodun Alamutu (rtd.), the South-West Zonal Coordinator of NCCSALW, who commended the NCS for its professionalism and dedication to curbing illegal arms importation. This move aligns with directives to prevent such weapons from entering circulation and fueling insecurity.

The handover coincides with strong revenue performance by the PTML Command, which recorded N44.06 billion in January 2026 (with figures still being finalized at the time of announcement), reflecting an 8.8% growth and highlighting the Service's dual focus on trade facilitation and enforcement.

Similar efforts have been reported across other NCS commands, including Ogun I and Oyo/Osun, where additional seizures of cartridges, Dane guns, and other prohibited items were handed over to NCCSALW or relevant agencies as part of broader anti-smuggling and security initiatives.

The NCCSALW, established to coordinate national efforts against the spread of small arms and light weapons, plays a pivotal role in recovering, controlling, and destroying illicit firearms to promote peace and safety.