National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

“The viral video is false” — Kokumo | Two suspects remain in custody as investigation widens

The Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, DIG Johnson Kokumo (retd.), has dismissed as false and baseless allegations circulating in a viral video linking National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to persons arrested over the seizure of 399 assorted automatic weapons at the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos.

Kokumo, who spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at the Joint Security Spokespersons Briefing, said he was personally present at the Tin Can Island Port when the Nigerian Customs Service handed the seized weapons over to the Centre. He insisted that the claims in the viral video were completely unfounded and could not be supported by the facts surrounding the seizure.

“The story in the video is not correct and cannot be correct,” Kokumo said, stressing that he personally witnessed the handover alongside the Comptroller-General of Customs. He explained that the 399 weapons, described as illegal firearms, were intercepted by Customs and subsequently transferred to the Centre for safe custody.

According to him, the entire cache is currently secured in an armoury, while two suspects arrested in connection with the alleged illegal importation remain in custody. He said investigations were continuing to identify the criminal networks behind the shipment and uncover their possible international collaborators.

Kokumo also condemned the viral video for not only spreading what he described as false information but allegedly calling for violence against Ribadu and other individuals. He urged Nigerians to disregard the claims, saying the facts established by the security agencies were clear.

19,000 ILLICIT WEAPONS DESTROYED

The Arms Centre boss disclosed that the Federal Government had continued its programme of destroying recovered illicit firearms to prevent them from being diverted back into the hands of terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers and other violent non-state actors.

He said the destruction programme was being implemented in line with Nigeria’s obligations under relevant international agreements involving the United Nations, African Union and ECOWAS.

Kokumo said the Second Quarter Arms Destruction Exercise for 2026, conducted on July 30 at the Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment, Giri, Abuja, resulted in the public destruction of 1,419 illicit weapons.

With the latest exercise, he said, the cumulative number of illicit weapons destroyed by the Centre since 2022 had risen to more than 19,000.

He further disclosed that the Centre received 5,050 illicit, unserviceable, decommissioned and obsolete assorted automatic weapons retrieved from the Nigeria Police Force in June 2026.

He added that the 399 automatic weapons intercepted by Customs were formally handed over to the Centre on August 17, 2026.

GOVT TARGETS CRIMINAL GUN-MAKERS, NOT LEGITIMATE ARTISANS

Kokumo clarified that the government’s campaign against illicit firearms was not aimed at legitimate local arms manufacturers or traditional artisans whose skills could potentially be harnessed for national development.

He noted that local communities had historically relied on locally made firearms, including Dane guns used by hunters, but warned that the proliferation of sophisticated weapons represented a far more serious security threat.

“What we are seeing now is the introduction of sophisticated weapons,” he said.

According to him, security agencies were particularly focused on criminal manufacturers producing advanced illicit firearms for use by violent criminal groups.

He added that the government had identified skilled local manufacturers whose talents could be redirected towards productive and lawful national purposes.

“We have those who are criminal manufacturers of these illicit weapons; we are really out for them,” Kokumo said, adding that talented artisans who were not involved in criminal activities could be integrated into government plans and deployed productively for national development.

The Arms Centre boss said the government remained committed to choking the supply of illicit weapons to criminal groups and ensuring that firearms recovered from illegal networks never found their way back into circulation.