Image showing Onne seaport, one of the largest in Nigeria. Photo Source: BusinessDay.
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Claim: An X user via a video claimed that customs seized 100 containers loaded with ammunition at Onne port, bound for Abia State
Verdict: Misleading! Although the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) intercepted contraband arms and ammunition at the Onne ports in Rivers State, the operation took place in 2024.
Full Text
For decades, Nigeria has battled the illegal importation of unlicensed weapons into its territory via its seaport.
Despite customs officials’ efforts to expose such clandestine transactions, weapon and ammunition dealers have adopted different methods for their illicit activities.
In light of the foregoing, a user named @Dipoainal shared a video revealing that several unused guns were being transported to Abia State. However, customs officers at Onne, Rivers State, intercepted and confiscated the contraband.
“The customs and other security agencies at Onne port seized 100 containers of imported sophisticated ammunition that were headed to Abia State, which is about 80km from the seaport,” the X user wrote.
The X user referenced the 51-second video clip to another X user, @olubunmi_J, who had initially shared it.
Given Abia State’s proximity to Rivers, many users believed the post was authentic, which generated massive online engagement. As of Tuesday, April 15, 2025, the post had earned 256,000 views, 1,300 likes, 782 reposts, and 533 comments.
Similar posts were shared on Facebook (here, here, here, here, and here) and X (here and here.)
While some X users believed the post was authentic and questioned the government’s role in it, others described the video as old.
“They keep seizing these things, but they never disclose the importers. Nigeria is like a poorly written series,”@Thewahala boy lampooned.
Another comment by @Kayloaded1 reads, “Every time you see them saying they need a port in the Southeast, this is their plan. These people are evil and are already planning for war…”
Meanwhile, @chiromabdul asserted, “This is an old video.”
Due to the severity of the issue presented in the post and its virality, DUBAWA decided to verify the claim.
Verification
DUBAWA subjected some of the video’s screenshots to Google Reverse Image Search. The results led us to similar videos shared in 2024, via Facebook and Instagram.
In June 2024, two Facebook users, Native Reporters and Wise Igbo Man, shared similar clips with the same context as the one the claimant shared. Likewise, a similar video was uploaded on Instagram in June 2024.
DUBAWA conducted a keyword search to see if any credible news outlet reported the incident in 2024.
On Jul. 1, 2024, Punch reported that customs officials intercepted containers carrying arms worth N13.9 billion. It further mentioned that other items such as ammunition, illicit drugs, and second-hand clothes were discovered on the ship too.
According to the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, Nigerian customs discovered the illegal carriage when they noticed the “number of risk factors associated with the importation.” Furthermore, the importer attempted to bypass legal procedures by using the outlet of a private-bonded terminal.
Meanwhile, the report did not disclose the names of the culprits involved or the location where the arms and ammunition were transported.
Premium Time and Daily Trust also reported similar events within the same timeframe.
Conclusion
The claim is misleading. The video shared by the user has been online since 2024.
