SAN FRANCISCO, September 19, (THEWILL) – Barely one week after a 20-foot container laden with 1,100 pump action rifles were intercepted, Tin Can Island Command of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, has uncovered another container suspected to contain yet another cache of arms imported from Turkey.
The container with number, CMAU189817/8 is believed to contain about 475 sets of pump-action riffles. The latest container, which was discovered during the profiling of the importer of the 1,100 pump action rifles, also found out that it belongs to the same importer.
The container with 661 rifles was intercepted along Apapa-Oshodi Expressway after it was duly cleared from the Tin Can Port but the other three were intercepted before they were cleared. All the items were said to have come from Turkey.
Speaking with newsmen on Tuesday, a source revealed that the pump-action rifles were discovered after the Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Bashir Yusuf, ordered a detailed profiling of the importer of the 1,100 riffles intercepted last week.
The source, who witnessed the examination of the container, stated that the rifles were concealed with small connecting pipes, adding that: “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 themselves importing these weapons.”
This recent interception in Tin Can Port, is the fourth this year. On March 10, 2017, customs intercepted 661 pump action riffles and on May 23 another 440 pump-action rifles were intercepted. On September 11, yet a set of pump action rifles were intercepted.
