... Arrests 2 Suspects, Principal Suspect On The Run
Harboursandport.com: Lagos, Nigeria - August 7, 2026: The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS has intercepted over 140 "JoJeff" double-barrel pump-action rifles and 842.02 kilograms of Indian hemp (cannabis).
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| The Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi (l), displaying one of the seized riffles. |
The illicit cargo was packed inside 307 cartons with an estimated street value exceeding N373.8 million.
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| The Customs boss addressing press. |
Disclosing the development at the Tin-Can Island Command, the Comptroller-General of Customs, CGC, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, stated that enforcement officers have already assembled 140 of the smuggled rifles. The tracking and assembly of components remain ongoing at the station.
The weapons were concealed inside a single 20-foot container, which arrived alongside two 40-foot containers. These larger containers were heavily laden with cannabis-infused products and hidden among a variety of other imported goods to evade detection.
According to Adeniyi, Container No. TEMU 184536/9 arrived at Tin-Can Island Port on July 8, 2026, aboard the vessel MV VELIKA. The shipment was immediately flagged for enhanced monitoring by the agency's intelligence-driven risk management system.
Acting on credible intelligence, Customs officers placed the suspicious container under strict surveillance. They subsequently subjected the cargo to a detailed physical examination at the Customs Enforcement Station, where the hidden weapons were uncovered.
The examination revealed concealed crates containing knocked-down weapon components, preliminarily identified as JoJeff pump-action rifles.
Technical experts are currently conducting a detailed technical examination and inventory to confirm the final quantity and configuration, with investigations extending beyond the immediate port seizure.
On July 31, 2026, Customs operatives arrested one suspect at the Migfo Bonded Terminal as he attempted to facilitate the illegal release of the flagged container.
Financial records, documentary evidence, and telecommunications analysis established a direct link between the suspect and the named consignee. This includes a documented N10,000 payment received from a company account tied to the consignee on the day of the arrest.
Two suspects are currently in custody assisting investigators, while a principal suspect remains at large and is actively being pursued. Officers also recovered two used vehicles, generators, polypropylene fabric, and cables used to conceal the accompanying cannabis shipments.
The seized illicit narcotics included 109 cartons of Delta-8 cannabis cookies valued at N308.7 million, 125 cartons of cannabis gummies valued at N40.7 million, and 73 cartons of standard cannabis cookies valued at N24.3 million, bringing the total drug value to N373.8 million.
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