The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over narcotic drugs and expired pharmaceutical products with a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦53.39 billion to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) following a series of major seizures at the Apapa Area Command.
Speaking during the handover ceremony in Lagos on Wednesday, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said the seizures underscore the Service’s commitment to protecting public health, national security and Nigeria’s borders through intelligence-led enforcement operations.
According to him, the seizures were made through painstaking intelligence gathering, non-intrusive inspection, scanning analysis, physical examination and close collaboration with the NDLEA.
The nine intercepted consignments included two 40-foot containers loaded with large quantities of Cannabis Sativa concealed alongside imported vehicles, household goods and automobile spare parts.
One container contained 3,639 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, popularly known as Canadian Loud, weighing about 1,819.5 kilograms, while another held 9,918 sachets weighing approximately 4.95 metric tonnes.
Customs also intercepted two containers carrying 3,398 cartons containing 339,800 bottles of codeine syrup concealed inside cartons of insulated casserole dishes.
In addition, officers seized three containers loaded with expired pharmaceutical products, including Tramadol, Oxytocin injections, Carbamazepine tablets, Cloxacillin capsules, Vitamin B12 injections and B-Complex injections.
Another container carrying Piccan Teething Powder was also intercepted, while a separate container was found to contain 1,100 packages of CHACOLD Chlorpheniramine Maleate capsules bearing a fake NAFDAC registration number and forged documentation.
Adeniyi said the counterfeit pharmaceutical products initially appeared genuine but were discovered during detailed verification to be unregistered with NAFDAC, posing significant risks to public health.
He noted that the nine seizures have a cumulative Duty Paid Value of ₦53,391,140,029, stressing that their true significance goes beyond their monetary value.
“These seizures represent lives protected, families preserved, communities secured and countless young Nigerians shielded from the devastating consequences of drug abuse and unsafe medicines,” he said.
The Customs boss explained that narcotic drugs recovered during the operations were formally handed over to the NDLEA for further investigation and prosecution, while expired and unregistered pharmaceutical products were transferred to NAFDAC for regulatory action and safe disposal.
He clarified that vehicles, spare parts and other legitimate goods used to conceal the prohibited items would remain in the custody of the Nigeria Customs Service for seizure, forfeiture, condemnation, revenue recovery and other enforcement procedures in line with the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.
Adeniyi commended officers of the Apapa Area Command for their vigilance and professionalism and praised the collaboration between the NCS, NDLEA, NAFDAC and other security agencies in strengthening Nigeria’s border security.
He said the recent seizures reflect the outcome of enhanced international cooperation following his participation in the 147th and 148th sessions of the World Customs Organization Council in Brussels, where customs administrations from 187 member countries deliberated on strengthening societal protection through vigilance and commitment.
Reaffirming the Service’s determination to combat smuggling, the Comptroller-General warned criminal networks against using Nigeria’s ports to traffic illicit drugs, expired medicines and other prohibited goods.
He said the NCS would continue to leverage technology, intelligence and inter-agency collaboration to detect, intercept and prosecute offenders while ensuring a secure trading environment that protects public health, safeguards the economy and strengthens national security.
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