The Nigeria Customs Service has handed over a total of 1599 arms and 2298 rounds of ammunition to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons(NCCSALW) under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA)
Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who performed the handover in Lagos, said the event symbolises customs commitment to rid Nigeria of illicit weapons being brought in by smugglers.
Adeniyi recalled that the arms and ammunition were seized at various points by officers of the service in various commands
In his remarks,the Director General of thr NCCSALW, Johnson Kokumo commended the customs and the entire 16 arms bearing organisation
Kokumo a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police recalled the arms-bust of July 2024 when the Nigeria Customs Service intercepted 844 rifles and 112,500 rounds of live ammunition at Onne, Port Harcourt in Rivers State.
He added that the recovered weapons were promptly handed over to the National Centre, and importantly, suspects including the principal suspect, Ali Samson Ofoma, along with nine accomplices (Okechukwu Gabriel Charles, Kingsley Mbibi, and Akinkuade Mayowa Segun among others) were subsequently arrested in Abuja and are now facing prosecution.
” Their apprehension underscores the critical role of our coordinated efforts and reinforces why it is imperative for agencies to continue channeling intercepted arms to the Centre” he added
“Within a short period after assuming office, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR (Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces), signed the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons Act 2024 into law on 4 June 2024. This swift legislative action underscores the President’s unwavering commitment to ensuring peace and tranquility in Nigeria and demonstrates the premium he places on national security for all Nigerians.
“I would also like to emphasize that the Centre’s mandate extends far beyond merely receiving illegally acquired arms. As the leading organization for controlling the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons in Nigeria, the National Centre implements and supervises strategies and policies, collaborates with law enforcement and international bodies. (including ECOWAS, the AU, and the UN), manages a national database of weapons, and secures recovered arms. Additionally, the Centre serves as the custodian of other categories of weapons-including obsolete stockpiles held by various arms-bearing agencies-which, no longer serving any operational purposes “
