CGC Adeniyi (middle) with ACG Ogoba at the hand over.
Story by Dili Utomi.
The AP Moller Terminal within the Apapa Port Area Command, Nigeria Customs Service despite the rains was a beehive of activities Wednesday morning as the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi was on had to declare and hand over huge caches of narcotics and illegitimate pharmaceutical products seized by the officers of the Command.
The seizures were the end products of teamwork and inter-agency collaboration among sister government agencies, led by the NCS and working within and around the Port area.
In his address, the Customs CG said ” Today’s briefing specifically relates to Nine (9) seizures recently recorded by the Apapa Area Command following painstaking intelligence gathering, scanning analysis, physical examination and active collaboration with the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency
(NDLEA)”.
The seizures comprise:
a. i. A 1x40ft container with number CAAU7569127 found to contain 3,639 parcels of Cannabis Sativa (Canadian Loud) weighing 1819.5 kilograms, concealed alongside three imported vehicles and assorted automobile spare parts.
ii. Another 1x40ft container with number HAMU3246311 conveying 9,918 sachets of Cannabis Sativa, weighing approximately 4.95 metric tones, concealed alongside two imported vehicles and household items.
Others include:
b. i. A 1x40ft container with number MRKU3816476 conveying 1,700 cartons (170,000 bottles) of Codeine Syrup (CSP)
concealed with 38 cartons of insulated casserole dishes.
ii.Another 1x40ft container with number TGBU5399178 conveying 1,698 cartons (169,800 bottles) of Codeine Syrup (CSP) concealed inside 36 cartons of casserole products.
c. i. Similarly, a 1x40ft container with number HASU4519480 conveying 1,300 cartons of expired pharmaceutical products, including Tramadol (Timakadol).
ii. 1x40ft container with number MRKU4961275 conveying 1,269 cartons of expired pharmaceutical products,
including Oxytocin injections, Mexclor Eye Drops and Carbamazepine tablets (Termigral brand).
iii. Another consignment in a 1x40ft container number PCIU8771576
comprising expired pharmaceutical
products, including Cloxicillin capsules 100mg, Cynamine 12 Vitamin B12 injections and Becoline B-Complex injections. All intercepted for regulatory action.
d. A 1x20ft container with number MRKU 6964435 conveying Piccan Teething Powder
e. Lastly, a 1x40ft container, No. TCKU7000791, conveying 1,100 packages of CHACOLD Chlorpheniramine Maleate
Capsules bearing a fake NAFDAC Registration Number (04-6646) and an expiry date of December 2028. The seizure is made as a result of intelligence analysis and Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII).
“This particular seizure at first glance, the consignment appeared legitimate. However, a detailed verification of the NAFDAC certificate presented by the declarant established that the product is, in fact, not registered with NAFDAC. The use of a fake registration number and supporting documentation clearly indicates a deliberate attempt to smuggle unregistered pharmaceutical products into the Nigerian market, thereby posing a serious risk to public health. Consequently, the consignment was seized in accordance with the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, and is to be handed over to NAFDAC for further regulatory action and investigation”.
Display of some of the seized drugs.
Cumulatively, these 9 seizures have a Duty Paid Value of FiftyThree Billion, Three Hundred and Ninety-One Million, One Hundred and Forty Thousand and Twenty-Nine Naira (₦53,391,140,029.00) only.
In the CGC’s words “These seizures represent far more than monetary value. They represent lives protected, families preserved, communities secured and countless young Nigerians shielded from the devastating consequences of drug
abuse and unsafe medicines”.
The representative of the chief executive officer of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Director of Seaport Operations, ACGN Ibinabo Archiea Abia Ogoba, while receiving the narcotics part of the seizure noted “Together, we have taken 6,778.5 kilograms of Cannabis Indica, popularly known as “Canadian Loud,” out of circulation. Through two major seizures recorded on 15th and 24th June 2026, we send a clear and unequivocal message: we are more determined than ever to dismantle organised criminal syndicates and drug trafficking networks operating within and beyond our borders”.
She added that “Both seizures were the product of painstaking, intelligence-led and evidence-based interception work by the NDLEA Special Investigation Unit and the NDLEA Marine Intelligence Unit, working hand in hand with our foreign partners, particularly the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Over four months, actionable intelligence was carefully developed, and our marine surveillance officers tracked the vessels and containers throughout their journey until both were successfully intercepted”.
The unregistered, fake and illegitimate pharmaceutical products were also handed over to the director, Apapa area office of the National Agency for Foods, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Kingsley Oduma. No arrest of persons connected to the seizures has been made as at press time.
The Customs CG used the opportunity to commend the synergy existing between the collaborating sister agencies and harped on the hostile nature of the Nigeria Ports to illegal importation of substances harmful to public health. He reaffirmed his total support to legitimate trade.
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