Port Harcourt, July 1, 2024 – The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at Onne Port in Port Harcourt has seized a 40ft container laden with arms and nine other containers laden with illicit drugs.
Adewale Adeniyi, the Customs Comptroller General, disclosed this at a press conference in Onne on Monday.
He displayed the intercepted weapons which were brought from Turkey and the drugs before journalists.
Adeniyi said the weapons and drugs were concealed within doors, furniture, plumbing fittings, leather bags with total duty-paid value of N4.172 billion.
He said the agency acted on intelligence to track down the suspicious 1×40-foot container from Turkey on June 21.
The Comptroller General said his men, while inspecting the container, found 844 rifles and 112,500 rounds of live ammunition.
“This interception underscores our commitment to national security and public safety. We remain vigilant and committed to our duty.
“Three suspects have been detained in connection with the seizure, while an investigation underway to ensure all involved face legal consequences,” he said.
Adeniyi said similarly, on June 29, Customs officers intercepted eight 40-foot containers destined for a bonded warehouse from Onne Port.
These containers contained 1,050,000 bottles of CSC Cough Syrup with Codeine, 3,500,000 tablets of Trodol Benzhexol, and 720 bales of used clothes with the duty-paid value of ₦13.916 billion.
“The container bearing the arms and ammunition will be handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons for further investigation and prosecution.
“Licenses and permits of warehouses and terminals involved have been suspended, and officers found complicit will face severe sanctions,” said Adeniyi.
The Comptroller General acknowledged the support from local and international partners as well as government agencies. He said the seizure would serve as strong warning to others contemplating similar adventures.
