Customs Seize Another Arms-bearing Container at Tin Can Port

Men of the Nigerian Custom Service have announced the interception of another container containing arms being transported into the country.

The Tin Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service on Tuesday uncovered another container suspected to contain yet another cache of arms imported from Turkey.

 

The interception came barely one week after the command intercepted a 20-foot container load of 1,100 pump action rifles. According to investigation, the container with number, CMAU189817/8, is believed to contain about 475 set of pump-action rifles.

 

It was gathered that the rifles were discovered after the Customs Area Controller of the Command, Bashir Yusuf, ordered a detailed profiling of the importer of the 1,100 rifles intercepted last week.

 

The container is owned by the same importer. The seizure is the third in the series of containers loads of arms seizure at the Tin Can  port alone and fourth in the country within eight months.

 

A source, who witnessed the examination of the container, told our correspondent that the rifles were concealed with small connecting pipes.

 

“The container is owned by the same importer of the 1,100 guns. After a detailed profiling of the importer ordered by the Area Controller, it was discovered that he still has another container inside the port, so they fished it out.

“But I don’t know why they are hiding the identity of the importer, it could even be the government that is importing these weapons,” the source said.

 

However, when contacted the National Public Relations Officer of the service, Joseph Attah, said a container was suspected and it had yet to be examined to know its content.

 

“Let’s not speculate about arms please. A container is being suspected and examination will reveal whatever is inside,” he said.

 

Also, the PRO, Tin Can Island command of the NCS, Uche Ejesieme, said that the container was still being profiled to determine its content, adding that the command would not go public about the content of a container that had not yet to be determined.

 

He said, “Nobody can stampede us into confirming something that is not true.”

 

The container is still being profiled to know what is inside. After this is done, we will invite the media as we have done in previous times,” he told our correspondent on the telephone.