The Nigerian Customs Service said, on Thursday, that efforts were on to check the influx of illicit arms and ammunition from Turkey.
The spokesman for the NCS, Abdullahi Maiwada, gave the assurance in an interview with journalists.
He spoke against the backdrop of the interception of two large consignments of illegal firearms by the Customs in Port Harcourt and Lagos on Monday and Wednesday, respectively.
In Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the NCS intercepted a 40-foot container loaded with 844 rifles and 112,500 live ammunition coming in from Turkey.
The weapons were valued at over N4bn.
On Wednesday, the NCS intercepted assorted arms, drones, and military accoutrements worth N1.5bn at the Murtala Muhammad Airport also coming in from Turkey.
Addressing journalists at the the Strategic Communication Inter-agency Policy Committee on Thursday in Abuja, Maiwada, said the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, planned to resuscitate the Memorandum of Understanding with Turkey as part of efforts to end the scourge.
Maiwada said, “Fortunately, there was an MOU with Turkey. When he (Adeniyi) was the spokesperson for the Customs, during the time of the late Comptroller General, he promised he would resuscitate that MOU to engage with the Turkey Customs administration on how to curtail the menace of the smuggling of small arms and light weapons into Nigeria.”
Maiwada said the NCS had also ratified an agreement with Chinese Customs to address similar issues.
He said, “If you recall, some two months or three months back, China, and we signed an MOU with the general administration of China Customs. Most of the drugs we intercept come from India. We are also working towards having what is called Customs-to-Customs cooperation. For those of us who are within the World Customs Organisation, Customs-to-Customs cooperation is part of the strategy to, one, ensure trade facilitation, and cut illicit trade.
“So we are working together with those Customs administration. And at the higher level, there will be also diplomatic engagement, which is above us.”
