The Port and Terminal Multi-services Limited (PTML) Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over a cache of seized arms and ammunition to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), reaffirming its commitment to border security, trade facilitation and inter-agency collaboration.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, the PTML Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Joe Anani, said the exercise reflects the Service’s zero-tolerance stance on smuggling and its determination to ensure that only legitimate trade thrives within Nigeria’s borders.
He explained that the handover was carried out with the approval of the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, under whose leadership the seizures were recorded.
Items transferred to NCCSALW included five pistols of different makes, one Crossman Pump Master rifle, 132 Remington live cartridges, 51 rounds of 9mm Luger ammunition, four 9mm magazines, 40 rounds of assorted 9mm and blank or hollow ammunition, and 118 empty 9mm shells.
According to the Area Controller, the arms and ammunition were intercepted on 25 different occasions during examination of imported vehicles between 2022 and 2025, attributing the success to sustained vigilance and collaboration with sister security agencies operating at the port.
He stressed that the PTML Command remains a “no-go area for unlawful trade under any guise,” adding that the Command is fully committed to the implementation of the Revised Kyoto Convention, a World Customs Organisation instrument that balances trade facilitation with effective regulatory control.
Anani also highlighted the impact of the Nigeria Customs Service Modernisation Project, noting that the deployment of the Unified Customs Management System (UCMS), also known as B’odogwu, has significantly enhanced operational productivity at the Command.
He disclosed that PTML would soon take delivery of cargo scanners, which would further strengthen its capacity to detect concealments such as arms and ammunition.
On revenue performance, the Controller announced that with two days to the end of January 2026, the Command had generated ₦44.06 billion, surpassing the ₦40.50 billion recorded in January 2025 by ₦3.56 billion, representing an 8.8 per cent increase
He commended compliant stakeholders for their cooperation, describing them as key partners in the Command’s achievements.
“On behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, I hereby formally hand over these seizures to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons for appropriate action”, Anani said.
The items were received by CP Mustapha Abiodun Alamutu (rtd), South-West Zonal Coordinator of NCCSALW, in the presence of PTML management, heads of sister agencies and Customs officers.