Nigeria, Turkey to Sign MOU to Curtail Smuggling of Illicit Arms

Ikechukwu Aleke in Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service, yesterday, said, it was working to resuscitate its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with Turkey Custom Administration to curtail the menace of smuggling of small arms and light weapons into Nigeria from Turkey.
The National Public Relations Officer of the Service, CSC Abdullahi Maiwada, made this disclosure while fielding questions from journalists during the NSA Strategic Communication Interagency Policy Committee press conference in Abuja.
Earlier, the Force Spokesperson, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said that only recently, the Nigeria Customs Service intercepted nine containers carrying offensive items, including arms, ammunition, and illicit drugs.

He revealed that 844 units of assorted rifles, 112,500 pieces of live ammunition among other contraband were intercepted at the Onne Port, Rivers State, stressing that the intercepted containers, laden with rifles and ammunition had a duty-paid value of more than N4 billion.
Adejobi also said on June 26, the UNODC reported that 90% of tramadol seizures globally occur in Africa, emphasising the continent’s pivotal role in the global drug trade.

Adejobi said, the fight against drug trafficking intensified with the NDLEA uncovering a “skuchies,” factory in Ogun on June 17, leading to the arrest of the culprits. The NDLEA’s relentless pursuit of justice, he said continued with the arrest of 150 drug trafficking suspects in Nasarawa on June 27.
But responding to question on what the Custom Service was doing to stop illicit arm smuggling from Turkey, the spokesperson, said the NCS was working to have custom to custom cooperation.
Maiwada said: “Most of the illicit drugs we intercepts come from India. We are also working to have custom to custom cooperation. Those of us that are within the World Custom Organization (WCO), organise custom to custom as part of the strategy towards ensuring trade facilitation and to cut illicit trade.

“So, we are working together with those custom administrations, and at the higher level, there will also be diplomatic engagement which of course is above us. Yesterday, the Customs CG addressed a press conference and same question was raised about Turkey.

“Fortunately, there is an MOU with Turkey, the CG was the spokesperson of the service during the leadership of late Diko and he promised to resuscitate that MOU to interface with Turkey custom administration on how to curtail the menace of smuggling of small arms and light weapons from Turkey into Nigeria.”

Speaking on the alleged deteriorating health condition of the Binance’s executive, Tigran Gambaryan, detained at the Kuje correctional centre in Abuja, the Spokesperson of Nigerian Correctional Service, CSC Abubakar Umar, said Gambaryan, was not under any serious health condition as alleged.