Illegal arms importation rises ahead of 2015 elections

As preparations for the 2015 general elections and 2014 governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states gather steam, there are strong indications of increase in the smuggling of arms and ammunition into the country.

It was also learnt that the demand for imported bulletproof cars had increased in the last few months.

A report of the Nigeria Customs Service showed that the records of seizures of arms and ammunition in 2013 by the Nigeria Customs Service were seven times more than those of 2012. 

The police also gave indications of a rise in the number of arms in circulation even though its spokesperson did not give a definite figure.


The Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Mr. Wale Adeniyi, said in Abuja on Thursday that the service now seizes contraband including arms and ammunition daily. He said the agency had beefed up security along the nation’s borders to curtail the influx of arms and ammunition into the country.

“We know the porosity of our borders, we had to change patrol strategies and the patrol strategy that we are using now is yielding dividends, we are making seizures of contraband on daily basis including arms and ammunitions,” he said.

Late Thursday, the State Security Service Operatives intercepted high-calibre ammunition in a 20-foot container at the Port Harcourt Port in River State.

The vessel identified as MV Iron Trader was carrying 2,700 anti-aircraft and anti-tank bombs, according to security sources.

The Customs report entitled, “2013 Summary of Suppression of Smuggling/Seizures Report,” showed that the arms and ammunition were seized at airports, seaports, creeks and border stations nationwide.

The report is prepared by the Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection Department of the NCS and it details the general anti-smuggling activities of the agency for a specified year.

Specifically, the report showed that the cases of seizures represented an increase of about 700 per cent when compared with the single seizure recorded in 2012.

Analysts say the increase in smuggling of arms and ammunitions to the country might not be unconnected with the increase in political activities towards the 2015 general elections and other governorship elections this year given the violence that usually accompanied past electoral activities in the country.