FACT-CHECK: Did NSA Nuhu Ribadu Sponsor Persons Involved in the Illegal Arms Importation at Tin Can Island Port?

BY: Abayomi Abdulwaliyy Jolayemi

Claim: 

A claim circulating on social media alleges that National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu sponsored persons involved in the importation of illegal arms intercepted at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos.

Verdict: 

FALSE!. 

Full Text: 

A claim circulating online has linked National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu to the illegal importation of arms intercepted at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos.

The allegation followed the arrest of two suspects in connection with a consignment of illegal weapons intercepted by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

It alleges that Ribadu sponsored the suspects involved in the shipment.

Verification: 

FactCheck Africa reviewed reports on the seizure, the subsequent handover of the weapons to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), and statements from the centre regarding the allegation.

FactCheckAfrica found the allegation linking Nuhu Ribadu to the suspects arrested over the Tin Can Island arms seizure to be false and unsupported by available evidence.

The Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), DIG Johnson Kokumo, dismissed the allegation during a joint security spokespersons’ briefing in Abuja on September 1, 2026.

According to Blueprint, Kokumo said the viral video’s allegation was false and confirmed that he was personally present when the Nigeria Customs Service handed over 399 assorted automatic weapons intercepted at Tin Can Island Port to the NCCSALW.

The Guardian also reported that Kokumo rejected the allegation, while Punch Newspapers reported that the two suspects arrested in connection with the illegal importation remained in custody as investigations continued.

Kokumo said the investigation was ongoing to identify the criminal elements behind the shipment and possible international collaborators. This means that, at the time of the statement, the investigation had not established any link between Ribadu and the suspects or the arms shipment.

FactCheckAfrica found no documentary evidence, court record or official investigative finding establishing that Ribadu sponsored or facilitated the shipment.

The confirmed facts are therefore that 399 automatic weapons were intercepted, two suspects were arrested and investigations continued; the allegation that Ribadu sponsored the suspects was rejected by the NCCSALW and was not supported by credible evidence reviewed by FactCheck Africa.

Customs officials hand over the seized arms.

Conclusion: 

The claim is False. FactCheckAfrica found no credible evidence establishing that National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu sponsored or facilitated the illegal arms shipment intercepted at Tin Can Island Port.

The available reports confirm that the Nigeria Customs Service intercepted 399 assorted automatic weapons, which were subsequently handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.

The NCCSALW Director-General, Johnson Kokumo, who said he was personally present during the handover, rejected the allegation linking Ribadu to the shipment.

Two suspects remained in custody as investigations continued into the origin and network behind the illegal arms shipment. However, the sources reviewed by FactCheckAfrica contain no credible evidence linking Ribadu to the shipment or its sponsors.