The Joint Border Patrol Team Sector 2, South-West, Lagos has intercepted six pieces of pump action rifles, 1,125 live cartridges, and other contrabands worth N36 billion between 2019 till date.
The coordinator of the team, Mohammed Shuaibu, a Deputy Controller of Customs, disclosed this while addressing journalists in Ikeja, Lagos on Friday.
“The team intercepted six pieces of pump action riffles and 1,125 live cartridges concealed in a sack containing cassava flakes along Okerete-Ododo Bush in Oyo State,” he said.
He also said that the team arrested 1,507 illegal immigrants within the period under review.
According to Shuaibu, the rifles that were loaded in a Toyota Saloon car were intercepted last week.
He stated that from August 2019 to date, the team intercepted 130,954 bags of foreign bags of rice equipment and tin218 truckloads.
“Others include, 7,200kg of pangolin scales, 5, 575, 020 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, 11,322 cartons of foreign frozen products, 4,124 bales of used clothes, 4,057 kegs of vegetable oil, 15 pump action riffles, 280 suspected cases of human trafficking, 480 units of motor vehicles and 1.190 means of conveyances,” the patrol team leader added.
He explained that the seized goods had a duty-paid value of N36.7bn.
Shuaibu added that the team’s efforts also boosted the Federal Government’s revenue through auction sales.
He said an aggregate of N1.1bn was paid into the federation account from the sales of seized petroleum products, noting, “At the same time, the national security was enhanced by seizing and frustrating the supply chains of illicit goods, which had security implications and concerns.”
According to the Institute of Security Studies, Nigeria reportedly accounts for 70 per cent of the 500 million illegal weapons in circulation in West Africa.
Another report puts the number of small arms in the hands of civilians in Nigeria at around 6.15 million.
The Joint Border Patrol Team was inaugurated in August 2019 to address security challenges along the nation’s international borders caused by the proliferation of smuggled small and light weapons, illicit drugs, prohibited goods, and other cross-border crimes.
The Office of the National Security Adviser coordinates the management of the team, working closely with the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Police, the Immigration Service, the Department of State Services, the National Intelligence Agency, with the Nigeria Customs Service as the lead agency to ensure improved security at nation’s border.
