The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over 189,000 rounds of live ammunition seized in Niger State to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) for further action. The ammunition, contained in 7,560 packages, was intercepted by Customs officers around the Wawa axis of Niger State, close to the […]
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over 189,000 rounds of live ammunition seized in Niger State to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) for further action.
The ammunition, contained in 7,560 packages, was intercepted by Customs officers around the Wawa axis of Niger State, close to the border, following intelligence on the movement of the consignment.
The Controller of the Niger/Kogi Area Command of the NCS, Sani Mohammed Umar, disclosed this in Minna while formally handing over the ammunition to the NCCSALW.
Umar said the seized ammunition had remained in Customs custody since 2018 due to ongoing court cases and other legal processes.
He explained that each of the 7,560 packages contained 25 rounds, bringing the total to 189,000 rounds.
According to him, the suspect linked to the consignment escaped after the interception and remains at large, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend him.
The Customs Area Controller warned that allowing such a large quantity of ammunition to enter the society illegally could have grave security consequences, particularly amid the prevailing security challenges across the country.
He said the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, had directed officers to sustain vigilance and intensify border operations to prevent the smuggling of arms and ammunition into the country.
Umar added that the Service would continue to work closely with the NCCSALW and other security agencies to prevent illegal arms from reaching criminal elements.
Receiving the consignment, the Director of the NCCSALW North Central Zone, Abdul Adamu Eneche, commended the Customs Service for its cooperation and the successful handover.
Eneche, who represented the Director General of the Centre, DIG Johnson Babatunde Kokumo, said the ammunition would undergo the required processes before being destroyed.
He explained that the destruction was necessary to ensure that the seized ammunition did not find its way back into society or fall into the hands of criminals.
He described inter-agency cooperation as critical to tackling the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, stressing that no single security agency could effectively combat illegal arms trafficking alone.
Eneche said the proliferation of illegal arms and ammunition was contributing to terrorism, kidnapping, insurgency, communal clashes and other criminal activities across Nigeria.
He disclosed that the NCCSALW had, since its establishment, facilitated the destruction of more than 19,000 arms in the presence of relevant stakeholders.
Beyond arms destruction, he said the Centre was conducting sensitisation campaigns and training programmes for security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders, communities and other stakeholders.
According to him, security personnel are being trained to identify emerging methods employed by criminals to move illegal arms and ammunition.
He also urged communities to provide timely and credible information to security agencies whenever they notice suspicious activities.
Eneche expressed optimism that stronger inter-agency cooperation, intelligence sharing, effective border control and sustained public awareness would help reduce the availability of illegal arms and ammunition to criminal groups across the North Central and other parts of the country.
