The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 16 containers of contraband valued at more than N10 billion and arrested five suspects in a major operation at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adeniyi disclosed this at a news conference on Monday, stating that the seizures were the result of weeks of intelligence gathering, coordinated inspections, and inter-agency collaboration, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The intercepted goods included cannabis indica imported from Canada, firearms and ammunition, expired pharmaceuticals, counterfeit goods, frozen poultry, and prohibited used clothing.
“The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 16 containers of contraband valued at more than N10 billion and arrested five suspects in connection with the seizures at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
“Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adeniyi disclosed this at a news conference on Monday. He stated that the seizures followed weeks of intelligence gathering, coordinated inspections, and inter-agency collaboration.
“Adeniyi said the intercepted items included cannabis indica, arms, expired pharmaceuticals, counterfeit goods, frozen poultry, and used clothing,” the NAN report read in part.
One 40-foot container, initially declared as clean cargo, was found to hold 202 cans of Canadian cannabis, two pump-action rifles, 25 cartridges, a Smith & Wesson pistol, and 55 rounds of ammunition, consigned to a Lagos-based importer.
Other seizures comprised seven containers of expired drugs and banned medicaments, three containers of expired food products, mainly margarine, three containers of prohibited used clothing, and two 40-foot containers each carrying 1,290 sacks of frozen poultry.
One container held 305 cartons of unregistered toothpaste concealed under beads and jalabiyas, while two more were found to contain expired chest and lung tablets without NAFDAC registration numbers. Two newly arrived containers of codeine syrup were also linked to the same syndicate.
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Adeniyi confirmed that three suspects had been remanded in Ikoyi Prison, while two were on administrative bail pending further investigations. He stressed that the duty-paid value of the goods exceeded N10 billion, with a far higher street value in the hands of criminals.
The Customs chief commended the Apapa Area Controller, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, and the cooperation of agencies, including NAFDAC, NDLEA, and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).
- He warned that the service would maintain strict checks on pharmaceutical imports and halt the transfer of such containers to bonded terminals outside the ports.
- Speaking at the briefing, NAFDAC’s Director of Ports, Dr Olakunle Olaniyan, said the pharmaceuticals were fake and dangerous to public health, adding that NAFDAC operates inspection offices in China and India to monitor exports before they reach Nigeria.
NDLEA Assistant Commander of Narcotics, Buba Wakawa, noted that Canadian cannabis indica poses greater harm than locally grown cannabis sativa, while NCCSALW’s Zonal Coordinator, retired Commissioner of Police Mustapha Alamutu, praised Customs for its support in tackling illicit arms trafficking.
