The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, NCCSALW, has dismissed claims linking National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to the importation of illegal weapons through the Tin Can Island Port.
The Director-General of the centre, DIG Johnson Kokumo (rtd.), described a viral video making the allegation as fake news.
Kokumo spoke in Abuja on Tuesday, saying he was personally present when the Nigerian Customs Service handed over 399 assorted automatic weapons intercepted at the port to the NCCSALW.
He said two suspects arrested in connection with the seizure remained in custody while investigations continued.
According to the NCCSALW boss, the weapons were formally handed over to the centre after their interception by Customs.
“I was at the Tin Can Island Port with the Comptroller-General of Customs. Three hundred and ninety-nine assorted automatic weapons were intercepted by the Nigerian Customs Service at the port. And this cache of arms, illegal weapons, was handed over to the centre,” he said.
Kokumo stressed that he attended the handover personally.
He said the seized weapons were now secured in an armoury, while investigators worked to identify those behind the illegal importation.
“As I’m talking to you, the arms are in a secured armoury. Two suspects arrested in connection with the illegal importation are currently in custody,” he said.
He added that investigations could also lead to the identification of international criminal partners involved in the operation.
Kokumo said the viral allegations were baseless and noted that the video also contained calls for violence against Ribadu and other individuals.
“So, what has gone viral in the video is not correct and cannot be correct,” he stated.
The NCCSALW director-general also explained why recovered illicit weapons were being destroyed.
He said the exercise was intended to prevent such weapons from being diverted back to criminal groups and non-state actors.
According to him, the destruction programme complies with international conventions to which Nigeria is a signatory, including agreements under the United Nations, African Union and ECOWAS.
Kokumo disclosed that the Second Quarter Arms Destruction Exercise for 2026 was held on July 30 at the Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment, Giri, Abuja.
The exercise resulted in the public destruction of 1,419 illicit weapons.
He said the latest destruction brought the total number of illicit weapons destroyed by the centre since 2022 to more than 19,000.
The weapons were destroyed as part of efforts to curb their use in terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes.
Kokumo said the government was not opposed to legitimate local arms manufacturing.
He explained that some traditional and artisanal gun makers possessed skills that could potentially be redirected toward productive national purposes.
“From time immemorial, in villages in Nigeria, we have traditional, well-aligned rights where people even fire for joy; they use Dane guns to do all this. We have local hunters who go into the bushes to hunt for rats and rabbits,” he said.
He, however, expressed concern over the production of sophisticated illicit weapons by criminal manufacturers.
Kokumo said the centre had identified talented local manufacturers whose skills could be incorporated into government plans.
“We have equally identified talents among the local manufacturers. The talents, those who are naturally talented, of course, will be absorbed into our plans, and we’ll see how they can be most efficiently and productively used in national service,” he said.
The centre also received 5,050 illicit, unserviceable, decommissioned and obsolete assorted automatic weapons retrieved from the Nigeria Police Force in June 2026.
Kokumo added that 399 JOJEF automatic guns intercepted by Customs were handed over to the centre on August 17, 2026.
