An illegal arms shipment originating in Turkey and containing 440 pump action rifles was seized on Monday in
Lagos, Nigeria, according to Agence France-Presse.
The Nigerian government told AFP on Wednesday it had intercepted an illegal cache of arms at the port in Lagos, five months after a similar seizure, when customs officers had stopped a truck carrying 661 illegal pump action rifles after they had been cleared at the port.
“Following intelligence reports, our operatives on Monday inspected a 40-foot container at the Tin Can port in Apapa, Lagos, and found 440 pieces of assorted pump action rifles and other accessories of the guns,” said spokesman Joseph Attah, adding that the consignment was covered with plaster of Paris to avoid detection. Attah said an investigation was under way to determined the intended recipient of the illegal shipment and that one suspect had been arrested.