Full Details About Great James, the Firm Responsible for importing arms into Nigeria[Photo]

Great James Oil and Gas Limited, the firm behind the illegal importation of 1,580 pump-action rifles into Nigeria, is a phony company, according to The Punch.

Nigeria Customs Comptroller-General, Hameed Ali, had hinted earlier that the arms shipment had been properly documented to contain rifles on leaving Turkey but on getting to Nigeria, the document was altered.

Recently, a Standards Organisation of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP) certificate issued to the importer has been uncovered.

The SONCAP involves a set of conformity assessment and verification procedures applicable to all products imported into the country to address the challenges of incessant influx of substandard and unsafe products into the country. It is a mandatory document for the clearance of goods at the Customs.

Great James' SONCAP certificate has a reference number IMP061711547S. It was issued to the firm in June for the importation of non-cellular strip, a chemical used as raw material in the manufacture of shoe soles, according to Frank Onyeji, the Head of SONCAP.

It listed the address of the importer as No. 1 Warehouse Road, Apapa, Lagos.

However, a visit to the three-storey office complex in Apapa revealed that there was no company called Great James Oil and Gas in the building.

The receptionist at the gate also insisted that the firm had never been an occupant of the building, which also houses a tax and logistics firm.

Three names have been linked to Great James oil and gas limited - Ayogu Cyril, Ayogu Kelvin and Ayogu Great James reportedly registered the firm as its directors on July 20, 2011 with a Corporate Affairs Commission registration certificate number RC 968675.