The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Niger/Kogi Area Command, has handed over 189, 189,000 rounds of confiscated live ammunition to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) in a major push against arms proliferation.
The handover of 7, 560 packages of cartridges, a significant victory in inter- agency border security, took place in Minna.
The Controller of the Niger/Kogi Area Command, Sani Mohammed Umar, confirmed the transfer to Abdul Adamu Eneche, the Director of the NCCSALW North Central Zone.
Umar explained that the ammunition, seized in 2018 during a patrol near the Babanna border in the Wawa axis of Niger State, had been held at Customs premises pending the resolution of legal processes.
According to Umar, intelligence led to the interception of the massive haul. Each of the 7, 560 packages contained 25 rounds. He added that the suspect involved managed to escape and remains at large.
The Controller emphasised that allowing such a volume of ammunition to enter society could severely exacerbate the country’s current security challenges.
‘The Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has directed officers to remain vigilant and strengthen operations along the borders,’ Umar stated, reaffirming the agency’s commitment to blocking the illicit arms trade.
Receiving the ammunition on behalf of DIG Johnson Babatunde Kokumo, the Director General of the NCCSALW, the Director of the NCCSALW North Central Zone, Abdul Adamu Eneche, praised the Customs Service for its vigilance, assuring the public that the seized rounds would undergo the necessary protocols before being permanently destroyed, ensuring they never reach criminal elements.
Eneche highlighted that illegal arms directly fuel terrorism, kidnapping, insurgency, and communal clashes across Nigeria, noting that the NCCSALW has already facilitated the destruction of more than 19, 000 illicit weapons since its inception, continually trains security agencies to identify new smuggling tactics, and conducts public awareness campaigns to encourage community intelligence sharing.