125,427 arms intercepted in six years – Customs

The Nigeria Customs Service says that since 2018 it intercepted 20 significant shipments, comprising 10,498 pieces of various arms and 114,929 pieces of ammunition, with an estimated duty-paid value of N9.58bn.

The service added that 60 per cent of the seizures happened in 2023.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this while addressing journalists in Ikeja on Wednesday.

Adeniyi stated that the recent surge accounts for 34.67 per cent of the total DPV, 20.58 per cent of the arms seized, and 99.62 per cent of the ammunition intercepted over the six years.

“Since 2018 the NCS has intercepted 20 significant shipments, comprising 10,498 pieces of various arms and 114,929 pieces of ammunition, with an estimated duty paid value of N9.58bn. Notably, 60 per cent of these seizures occurred within the past year alone,” he said.

He stated that these statistics not only highlight the intensification of their efforts but also reveal the evolving tactics employed by smugglers attempting to breach our borders.

Speaking of wildlife trafficking, Adeniyi lamented that the alarming rise in wildlife trafficking, not only threatens the country’s biodiversity but also tarnishes Nigeria’s international reputation.

He added that the illegal trade in endangered species, especially pangolin scales, has positioned Nigeria as a key transit point in the global wildlife trafficking network.

Giving details of the wildlife trafficking, he revealed that in August, the service in collaboration with the Wildlife Justice Commission, conducted a joint enforcement operation resulting in the seizure of 9,493kg of pangolin scales.

According to Adeniyi, the operation carried out in two separate locations, represents the largest seizure of pangolin scales globally since January 2020.

Similarly, the CGC emphasized that an operation carried out in Kano/Kaduna yielded 2,293 tons of pangolin scales and led to two arrests while the operation in Lagos operation in the seizure of 7.2 tons of pangolin scales and two additional arrests.

He added that a total of four persons were arrested in connection with these operations, “two in Kano and two in Lagos,”

“These seizures bring the total amount of pangolin scales intercepted by NCS and the Wildlife Justice Commission to nearly 20 tons since 2021, representing the loss of over 30,000 pangolin species,” Adeniyi stated.

He reiterated that the service remains committed to collaborating with domestic and international partners to combat wildlife trafficking and bring perpetrators to justice.

Adeniyi also announced that in a related international case, the service has made substantial progress in an investigation linked to a shipment from Onne Port, Port Harcourt, which was intercepted at Hai Phong Port in Vietnam.

He added that the shipment contained 1,580 kg of elephant tusks stressing that three individuals, including both agents and sellers connected to this illegal export, have been arrested.

Adeniyi announced that the ongoing efforts of the service to curb the importation of illicit and potentially harmful pharmaceuticals have yielded significant results.