The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has secured an interim forfeiture of opioids worth over N33.6 billion intercepted at the Onne Port in Rivers State.
This was disclosed on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statement issued from Abuja.
The agency noted that the containers were intercepted at different times between April and September 2025.
What they are saying
The forfeiture followed a ruling by Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, after the NDLEA filed an ex parte motion on February 10, 2026, in suit number FHC/PH/MISC/25/2026.
Delivering the ruling, the judge ordered the interim forfeiture of the seized containers and their contents to the Federal Government.
- “An order is hereby made forfeiting in the interim to the Federal Government of Nigeria seventeen (17) shipping containers containing a total, of three hundred and sixty-five thousand, six hundred and seventy-five (365,657kg) of various types of psychotropic substances, as well as other items as stated in the schedule to this application, illegally imported into Nigeria through the Onne Sea Port, Onne, Eleme, Rivers State by unknown persons.”
The court also directed that the NDLEA retain custody of the containers pending the final determination of the case.
Reacting, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), described the forfeiture as a decisive blow to drug cartels.
- “This is not just a seizure, it is a total dispossession of the resources the drug cartels intended to use in destroying the lives of our youths and funding further criminality,”
- He added: “By stripping the criminal syndicates of assets worth over N33.6 billion, we have struck at the heart of their operations. This sends a clear message: the Nigerian state will not allow the proceeds of death to circulate to fund terrorism and other forms of criminality in our country.”
More insights
The 17 containers were intercepted at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, on multiple dates in 2025, including April 29; May 14, 19, 20, 28 and 29; May 30; June 13; July 29; August 13 and 14; and September 4.
- They contained 19.6 million pills of Tramadol, Tafrodol, Tapentadol, and Carisoprodol, as well as 2.49 million bottles of codeine syrup, with a combined street value of N33.69 billion.
Marwa commended NDLEA officers at the Onne Port Command for their vigilance and professionalism, while also acknowledging the support of the Nigeria Customs Service and other port stakeholders in ensuring the successful interdiction.
He further appreciated international partners for intelligence sharing and technical support, reaffirming the agency’s commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks across the country.
What you should know
Illegal drug trafficking through Nigeria’s seaports is increasingly shifting beyond Lagos to other corridors, including Onne Port in Rivers State.
- In June 2025, NDLEA intercepted seven watch-listed containers containing opioids and codeine syrup valued at N9.3 billion at the same port complex.
- Similarly, in August 2025, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) seized 16 containers of fake and substandard regulated products worth about N20.5 billion at Onne.
In another crackdown in the South-South region, NDLEA seized illicit drugs worth over N1.8 billion and arrested 104 suspected traffickers in Edo State in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring intensified enforcement efforts.
