Insecurity: Customs Intercepts 108 Security Drones, 7.6 Tonnes Of Cannabis, Codeine Worth N43.59bn

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 108 sophisticated security drones, 7.6 tonnes of cannabis and 169,998 bottles of codeine syrup concealed in containers at the Apapa Area Command, with the total duty-paid value of the seizures put at N43.59 billion.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who disclosed this yesterday during a press briefing in Lagos, said the seizures were the outcome of sustained intelligence-led operations targeting illicit and security-sensitive consignments entering the country through the seaport.

He said the seized items fell into three major categories: narcotics and controlled pharmaceuticals, security-sensitive equipment, and expired goods intended for human consumption.

According to him, the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 charges the Service with responsibilities beyond revenue collection, including securing the supply chain, protecting the borders and ensuring the safety of goods entering the country.

“Revenue is the part of our work that is counted publicly each quarter. The other part is measured in what never reaches the street, and it is that part I am reporting today,” Adeniyi said.

He explained that criminals and smuggling syndicates had increasingly adopted sophisticated concealment methods, hiding illicit goods among legitimate consignments to evade routine inspections.

“Narcotics are packed among vehicle spare parts and used vehicles. Controlled drugs travel beneath household goods. Restricted equipment is declared as ordinary electronics,” he said.

The Customs boss said the Service had consequently strengthened cargo profiling and risk assessment, while deploying its B’Odogwu platform to integrate trade data into its risk-assessment processes.

He added that the establishment of an INTERPOL Data Centre at the Customs headquarters in Abuja in July had further enhanced the Service’s access to international intelligence.

According to him, the centre is the eighth INTERPOL Data Centre on the African continent and gives Customs officers access to more than 152 international databases.

Adeniyi said the Service had also deepened operational cooperation with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and international security partners.

Giving details of the seizures, he said three containers intercepted at Apapa contained a combined 15,245 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 7,624kg.

One of the containers, identified as HAMU 3086682, contained 4,777 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 2,388.5kg, concealed in two cartons, 48 jumbo bags and 40 drums, alongside assorted automobile spare parts, coffee mix, oats and three vehicles.

Another container, FANU 1933352, contained 8,287 parcels of cannabis weighing 4,145kg, packed in 162 bags, as well as three vehicles.

The third narcotics container, MSKU 3941778, contained 2,181 parcels of cannabis weighing 1,090.5kg, alongside foreign parboiled rice, automobile spare parts, lithium batteries, a PV combiner box, turmeric and fish.

Adeniyi said the cannabis seizures were the result of collaboration between Customs and the NDLEA, supported by intelligence from international security partners.

“The cannabis interceptions are the product of inter-agency work with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, supported by credible intelligence from international security partners,” he said.

He said the intelligence was analysed and acted upon through cargo profiling, documentary scrutiny and targeted examination by Customs officers.

Also intercepted was a 40-foot container, TCKU 7653306, containing 1,700 cartons of codeine syrup, equivalent to 169,998 bottles, concealed beneath household items.

The Customs boss warned about the consequences of allowing controlled substances to reach the Nigerian market, particularly given concerns over substance abuse among young Nigerians.

“The abuse of prohibited substances like codeine among young Nigerians has been the subject of national concern for years, and its connection to violent conduct, to family breakdown and to the loss of productive lives is well documented,” he said.

He added that a single container of the size intercepted “would have supplied that trade for a considerable period.”

Of particular security concern, Adeniyi said, was the interception of 108 high-definition dual-camera drones from container MSKU 9282528.

The drones, he explained, had legitimate applications but could become a threat if acquired by criminal elements or other persons working against national security.

“Drones have lawful uses, and this Service has no quarrel with them. But equipment of this kind, in the wrong hands, becomes a means of surveillance, of reconnaissance and of delivery,” he said.

He warned importers of restricted and security-sensitive equipment to obtain the necessary security approvals and end-user certificates before shipment.

“Consignments of that character that arrive without them will be detained,” Adeniyi declared.

“Our ports will not be a route through which capability reaches those who are working against the security of this country.”

The seizures also included 1,282 bales of used clothing from three 40-foot containers.

Five other containers were found to be loaded with expired consumer products, including tomato ketchup, antiseptic liquid, vaginal tablets and disposable nappies.

Adeniyi said the expired products posed significant risks to consumers because they included items consumed by households or applied directly to the body.

“These are products applied to the body and consumed by households. Their importation after expiry places children, women and other consumers at risk of harm they have no means of detecting at the point of purchase,” he said.

The Customs boss said the seized narcotics and other relevant items would be handed over to the appropriate agencies for further action.

He assured legitimate traders that the Service remained committed to facilitating lawful trade, stressing that its enhanced scrutiny would focus on consignments, transactions and operators presenting identifiable risks.

“To those engaged in false declaration, concealment, undervaluation or the importation of prohibited goods, the position is straightforward: no port, border station or logistics channel will be permitted to serve as a safe haven,” he said.

Adeniyi also urged importers to use the Service’s Advance Ruling mechanism where they were uncertain about the classification, valuation or origin of goods before shipment.

He further encouraged compliant operators to enrol in the Authorised Economic Operator programme, which he said offered more predictable clearance and fewer interventions where justified by risk assessment.

“Compliance is not an obstacle to business; it is an advantage over competitors who lack it,” he said.

The Comptroller-General commended officers of the Apapa Area Command for their vigilance and professionalism, while also acknowledging the contributions of the NDLEA, NAFDAC and international security partners.

“Our ports must serve lawful commerce, industrial growth and the prosperity of this country. They must not serve as transit points for narcotics, for controlled drugs, for equipment that threatens our security, or for goods that endanger the health of Nigerians,” Adeniyi said.

“The Service will continue to hold that line, and we ask the public and the trading community to hold it with us.”