For the third time within nine months, operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have uncovered another container with hidden 1,100 pump-action rifles from Turkey at the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos State.
It brings to 2,200 the number of rifles intercepted at Lagos ports this year alone, and they almost all emanated from Turkey.
In May, the Customs intercepted 440 pieces of riffles at Tin Can Island Port, Lagos.
A few months earlier, the Federal Operations Unit of the service intercepted 660 pieces of pump action rifles at Apapa port, also in Lagos.
Then, Mr Monday Abueh, the Zonal Coordinator of Zone A’ , an Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, said the imports originated from Turkey. The guns were concealed in a 20-ft container with number, PONU210024 (1) 22G1 carrying POP powder used for design of houses.
The latest weapons were concealed among imported wash-hand basins by vigilant Customs officers.
According to the Controller-General of Customs, Colonel Hameed Alli (retd), the siezed weapond included 600 pieces of Georgia Magnum Black Pump-Action rifles.
“If you add (these) 600 plus 300, plus 200, that’s 1,100 pieces of pump-action rifles that were brought in under the guise of wash-hand basins and some other items,” he told journalists.
According to Customs sources, one of its officers and a clerk at the Tin-Can Island Command are answering questions on the find.