KEY POINTS

• Nigeria Customs intercepted a container with concealed JoJeff pump-action rifle parts flagged by its risk management system at Tincan Island Port.
• In a separate seizure, officers recovered cannabis-infused products worth ₦373.8 million hidden among legitimate imports.
• Investigators arrested one suspect over a traced ₦10,000 payment, two suspects are assisting them, and a principal suspect remains at large.

The Nigeria Customs Service intercepted a container of concealed pump-action rifle parts and seized cannabis-infused products worth ₦373.8 million at the Tincan Island Port Command, marking another win in its anti-smuggling drive.

Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi announced the twin seizures at a Thursday briefing, and he called them a major blow to transnational criminal networks that exploit Nigeria’s seaports to move weapons and narcotics.

How officers traced the rifle parts

According to Adeniyi, the operation began when the Service’s risk management system flagged Container No. TEMU 184536/9 for extra scrutiny. The container had arrived aboard MV VELIKA on July 8, 2026. Subsequently, a physical examination at the Customs Enforcement Station uncovered crates of knocked-down components that officers preliminarily identified as JoJeff pump-action rifles. Technicians are now examining the parts to confirm their exact quantity and configuration, and the Service expects to release fuller figures once that work ends.

Meanwhile, investigators widened the net and arrested a suspect on July 31, 2026, at the Migfo Bonded Terminal as he tried to secure the container’s release. Financial records, documents and telecommunications analysis linked the suspect to the named consignee, and officers traced a ₦10,000 payment to a company account tied to that consignee on the day of the arrest. Currently, two suspects are helping investigators, while another principal suspect remains on the run.

A second haul of cannabis products

In a separate operation, officers intercepted two 40-foot containers that hid cannabis-infused products among legitimate imports such as used vehicles, pumping generators, fabric rolls, tubular batteries and cables. Altogether, the haul included 109 cartons of Delta-8 pre-roll cookies worth ₦308.7 million, 125 cartons of Delta-8 gummies worth ₦40.7 million and 73 cartons of cannabis-infused cookies worth ₦24.3 million. Consequently, the total street value reached ₦373.8 million.

Adeniyi warned that the cases show how syndicates increasingly abuse legitimate trade channels, and he credited intelligence-driven enforcement and cooperation with sister agencies for the results. Furthermore, he vowed to prosecute everyone linked to the networks. Nigeria’s ports will never be safe havens for the trafficking of illicit weapons, narcotics, or other prohibited goods, he declared. Finally, he urged the public to keep supplying credible tips, since investigators still need help to dismantle these organized networks.