Customs seizes N10bn worth of arms, expired drugs at Apapa Port
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Monday said it had intercepted 16 containers laden with contraband, including hard drugs, arms, ammunition, expired pharmaceuticals, frozen poultry products, and counterfeit goods smuggled via Apapa Port, with a duty-paid value of over N10 billion.
The NCS said five suspects had been arrested in connection with the seizures, with three already charged and remanded at Ikoyi Prison, while two were on administrative bail pending trial.
Displaying the seized containers and their contents to journalists on Monday at the APM Terminals Examination Bay in Apapa Port, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, said the interception followed a series of intelligence-led operations and joint enforcement activities with other agencies, notably the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Adeniyi highlighted the most significant discoveries to include a 40-foot container, MRSU6407089, initially cleared during inspection but later found to conceal 101 kilogrammes of Colorado (Canadian Loud), two pump-action rifles with 25 cartridges, a pistol with 55 rounds of ammunition, and various accessories.
He said the consignee, identified as Mr Babatunde Ogidiolu of Lagos, was under investigation.
The Customs CG disclosed other seizures to include seven containers of expired drugs and prohibited medicaments; three containers of expired food items, including margarine; three containers of used clothing; and two containers, each holding 1,290 sacks of frozen poultry products.
Adeniyi also stated that a container with 305 cartons of counterfeit toothpaste concealed with beads and clothing had been seized, infringing a Nigerian company’s trademark and lacking NAFDAC registration, as well as two containers of expired chest and lung tablets without NAFDAC approval.
Others included two newly tracked 40-foot containers loaded with codeine, linked to previous drug seizures.
He stressed that many of the implicated importers appeared to be operating in coordinated criminal networks, vowing that Customs would deepen cooperation with both local and international partners to dismantle such syndicates.
“We will not allow Nigeria to become a dumping ground for illicit drugs, fake goods, and dangerous imports. Our mandate to safeguard the nation from threats to peace and security is unwavering,” Adeniyi said.
Adeniyi also reiterated the Service’s recent decision to halt the transfer of pharmaceutical containers to bonded terminals outside seaports, citing compliance failures by many operators.
He stated that future operations would remain risk-led and intelligence-driven, backed by increased deployment of non-intrusive scanning technologies.
