General
Customs Confirms Seizure of Weapons from Lagos Ports
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced the seizure of 31 arms of various types from two Tin-Can and Port and Multi-Purpose Terminals (PTML) ports in Lagos.
This was disclosed by the newly appointed Comptroller-General of the Customs, Mr Adewale Adeniyi, who stated that two suspects were arrested and were currently in the custody of the agency.
According to him, the seizure happened on Monday.
He said earlier this month (July 5), during a joint operation with the Police, the Department of State Security (DSS), the National Drug Law Enforcement and Administration (NDLEA), and the Customs Intelligence Unit at the Ports Terminal and Multi Services Limited Command, a thorough physical examination of a 40ft container, the team uncovered 10 dangerous arms and various rounds of live ammunition concealed inside plastic drums.
Giving a breakdown of the seizures, Mr Adeniyi said three new pump action rifles and one new unit of an armed rifle, six new different makes of pistols, one new millennium G2 pistol, one new sarsilmaz SAR-9X pistol, three new Lugger Security-9 pistol, one new Taurus Banbridge G3C pistol, and one new SCCY CPX-2 pistol, and one new Taurus (63 pistol) 14 empty magazines, 442 rounds of live ammunition were discovered.
He said: “Our dedicated officers and men have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to their responsibilities. “Their diligence and perseverance have been the cornerstone of our operations. Our actions within the NCS have been driven by a deep sense of purpose and guided by the mantra of renewed hope, which underpins the current administration’s vision. We recognize the significance of our role in contributing to the overall objectives of President Tinubu-led administration, as articulated in the Road Map of the Policy Advisory Council document.
“The declaration of a state of emergency in revenue generation and national security has further aligned our activities with the government’s overarching goals.
“Pursuant to this commitment, I stand before you today to highlight the recent achievements of the NCS in our ongoing efforts to suppress smuggling and safeguard national security. Some of our dedicated and diligent officers uncovered some smuggled arms and ammunition while on duty at various Commands and formations.”
The customs boss also disclosed that two clearing agent, Mr Shokunbi Olanrewaju of Shooler Global International Ltd and Mr Joseph Nwadiodor, who was expected to take delivery of the container, were currently detained as suspects in connection with the seizure.
Besides the arms seizure at PTML Customs command, within the same period, the Tin-can Island Port Command of the Service, while acting on credible intelligence, subjected a 1x40ft container to 100% physical examination with the relevant security agencies at the ports.
The physical examination uncovered 18 arms, packets of cartridges and rounds of live ammunition inside plastic drums. The details are:
a. 6 different makes of pistols (1) Two (2) Sar9 Sarsilmarz Pistols (2) One (1) Ruger American Pistol And (3) Three (3) Taurus G3c – Bainbridge Pistols).
b. 12 different makes of riffles (1) Five (5) Rz17hd Rifles, (2) One (1) Gamo Rifle, (3) Five (5) Pump Action Rifles and (4) One (1) Rz17 Tactical Rifle)
c. 10 packets of cartridges, two packets of 9mm ammunition, 100 rounds of 9mm Winchester ammunition. 1 carton of Frontier cartridges, packets of Buckshot ammunition.
According to Mr Adeniyi, “again, during a routine patrol along Owode/Ajilete Axis of Ogun State by officers of the Joint Border Patrol Team Sector 2, on Wednesday 12 July 2023, intercepted an unregistered Toyota Camry loaded with six sacks of charcoal, which was used to conceal three pump action riffles with 174 live cartridges.
The driver of the vehicle, who knew the content he was conveying vis-a-vis the attendant consequences of his action before the law; jumped into the bush and escaped arrest.
“The outcome of our investigations together with the seizures will be handed over to the appropriate authorities for further investigation and prosecution.
“Illicit arms obtained by non-state actors have boosted the proliferation of small arms and ammunition across the country.
“This accounts for the increase in violent kidnappings, robberies, and mass killings in society.
“Let me state at this point that the Service has re-strategized its operations while our officers have raised their levels of professionalism and have keyed into the mantra of renewed hope aimed at facilitating legitimate trade. In doing this, we are assuring all compliant traders and importers that they have nothing to fear.
“We have re-injected new tactics to tackle the economic and security menace caused by recalcitrant importers and their agents. The Service’s human resources and logistics are collectively harnessed to combat and prevent economic sabotage.
“I implore importers and agents to be patriotic by making sincere declarations and to be properly guided by the import/export prohibition lists. I also urged the public to see security as a collective responsibility. We will appreciate information of illegal importation and cross-border movement of dangerous weapons used to create mayhem in our nation.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited is in talks with a Chinese company over one of the state-owned oil firm’s refineries, the chief executive of the state oil company, Mr Bashir Bayo Ojulari, said.
He said the company was seeking experienced operators as equity partners to revive its four refineries after years of losses and underperformance.
The NNPC chief said an internal review carried out shortly after assuming his role last April showed the refineries were running at huge losses, with high operating costs and heavy spending on contractors while processing volumes remained low.
Mr Ojulari said that the board of the state oil company has approved a strategy to bring in refinery operators with proven expertise rather than contractors, adding it was in advanced talks with several interested parties.
“I’m just coming from a meeting with one of the potential investors,” Mr Ojulari said, without giving a name. “They are going to the refinery tomorrow to inspect. It’s a Chinese company that has one of the biggest petrochemical plants in China.”
The NNPC head stated that operations in the refineries had been put on hold to give time to evaluate potential restoration solutions.
This coincided with the opening of the Dangote Refinery, which provided “breathing space” for the supply of domestic petroleum.
For the past two years, the NNPC has unsuccessfully attempted to fully reactivate the state oil refineries in Warri, Kaduna, and Port Harcourt, which have a combined processing capacity of 445,000 barrels per day but have remained idle for decades.
These endeavors to restore the facilities to operational status have resulted in both public controversy and shifts in strategic direction.
The government initially sought to rehabilitate these refineries, primarily in response to the commissioning of Dangote’s 650,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery; however, this effort proved unsuccessful, necessitating an exploration of potential public-private partnerships.
In October 2025, the NNPC announced its search for new technical private equity partners to facilitate the revival of its long-dormant refineries.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Senate on Wednesday passed the bill to amend the Electoral Act of 2022 after delays, which almost pitched the institution against several Nigerians.
Last week, the upper chamber of the National Assembly headed by the Senate President, Mr Godswill Akpabio, set up a panel to look into the matter, with the directive to submit its report yesterday, Tuesday, February 3, 2026.
However, after the report was submitted yesterday, the red chamber of the parliament said it was going to take an action on it on Wednesday.
At the midweek plenary, the Senate eventually passed the Bill for an Act to Repeal the Electoral Act No. 13, 2022 and Enact the Electoral Act, 2025.
However, some critical clauses were rejected, including the proposed amendment to make is mandatory for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmission election results electronically from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
The clause was to strengthen transparency and reduce electoral malpractice through technology-driven result management.
It also rejected a proposed amendment under Clause 47 that would have allowed voters to present electronically-generated voter identification, including a downloadable voter card with a unique QR code, as a valid means of accreditation.
The Senate voted to retain the existing 2022 provisions requiring voters to present their Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) for accreditation at polling units, and upheld the provision mandating the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) or any other technological device prescribed by the electoral umpire for voter verification and authentication, rather than allowing alternative digital identification methods as proposed in the new bill.
The Senate also reduced the notice of election from 360 days to 180 days, with the timeline for publishing list of candidates by INEC dropped from 150 days to 60 days.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has completed its timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general election, despite pending amendments to the Electoral Act by the National Assembly.
INEC Chairman, Mr Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja during a consultative meeting with civil society organisations.
Mr Amupitan said the commission had already submitted its recommendations and proposed changes to lawmakers, noting that aspects of the election calendar might still be adjusted depending on when the amended Electoral Act is passed.
He, however, stressed that the electoral umpire must continue preparations using the existing legal framework pending the conclusion of the legislative process and presidential assent to the revised law.
According to him, the commission cannot delay critical preparatory activities given the scale and complexity involved in conducting nationwide elections.
The development highlights INEC’s commitment to early planning for the 2027 polls, even as stakeholders await legislative clarity that could shape parts of the electoral process.
Yesterday, the Senate again failed to conclude deliberations on the proposed amendment to the Electoral Act after several hours in a closed-door executive session. The closed session lasted about five hours.
Lawmakers dissolved into the executive session shortly after plenary commenced, to consider the report of an ad hoc committee set up to harmonise senators’ inputs on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
When plenary resumed, the Senate President, Mr Godswill Akpabio, did not disclose details of the discussions on the bill.
Despite repeated executive sessions, the upper chamber has yet to pass the bill, marking the third unsuccessful attempt in two weeks.
The Senate, however, said it will not rush the bill, citing the volume of post-election litigation after the 2023 polls and the need for careful legislative scrutiny.
Last week, the red chamber of the federal parliament constituted a seven-member ad hoc committee after an earlier three-hour executive session to further scrutinise the proposed amendments.
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