…CG Adeniyi warns smugglers, says ports won’t be safe haven for illicit trade
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted a cache of illicit and dangerous consignments at the Apapa Area Command with a combined duty paid value of ₦43.59 billion, including more than 7.6 tonnes of cannabis sativa, 169,998 bottles of codeine syrup and 108 high-definition dual-camera drones.
The seizures, which also included expired food, pharmaceutical and household products as well as 1,282 bales of used clothing, were unveiled by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, PhD, during a press briefing on the outcome of intelligence-led operations at the Apapa port.
Adeniyi said the seizures demonstrated that the Service’s mandate goes beyond revenue collection, stressing that Customs is equally responsible for protecting Nigeria’s borders, securing the supply chain and preventing dangerous goods from reaching the Nigerian public.
According to him, the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, places a broader responsibility on the Service beyond revenue generation.
“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,” he said.
The Comptroller-General explained that criminal networks had become increasingly sophisticated in concealing illicit goods within otherwise legitimate consignments, making intelligence, cargo profiling and targeted examinations critical to effective enforcement.
He noted that narcotics were now being concealed among vehicle spare parts and used vehicles, while controlled drugs could be hidden beneath household items and restricted equipment falsely declared as ordinary electronics.
“What has changed in recent years is the method. Concealment is now built into otherwise legitimate consignments,” Adeniyi said.
He disclosed that the NCS had strengthened cargo profiling and risk assessment across its commands while deploying the B’Odogwu platform to enhance the use of trade data in identifying high-risk consignments.
Adeniyi also highlighted the establishment of an INTERPOL Data Centre at the NCS Headquarters in Abuja, which he said provides Customs officers access to more than 152 international databases and is the eighth such centre on the African continent.
He said the Service had equally intensified collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), NAFDAC, the Office of the National Security Adviser and international security partners.
Giving details of the seizures, Adeniyi disclosed that three containers intercepted during the operations contained a combined 15,245 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 7,624kg, or more than 7.5 tonnes.
One 40-foot container, HAMU 3086682, contained 4,777 parcels of cannabis weighing 2,388.5kg, alongside assorted automobile spare parts, coffee mix, oats and three vehicles.
Another 40-foot container, FANU 1933352, contained 8,287 parcels of cannabis weighing 4,145kg, together with three vehicles.
The third container, MSKU 3941778, a 20-foot container, contained 2,181 parcels of cannabis weighing 1,090.5kg, in addition to foreign parboiled rice, automobile spare parts, lithium batteries, turmeric, mangala fish and butterfly fish.
Adeniyi said the cannabis seizures were achieved through inter-agency intelligence sharing and cooperation with the NDLEA and international security partners.
He explained that the intelligence was analysed and acted upon through cargo profiling, documentary scrutiny and targeted examination by Customs officers.
“I thank the NDLEA and our international partners for their cooperation,” he said.
Another major seizure was a 40-foot container, TCKU 7653306, containing 1,700 cartons of codeine syrup equivalent to 169,998 bottles, concealed beneath household items.
Adeniyi described the seizure as particularly significant given the national concern over the abuse of controlled substances, especially among young Nigerians.
He warned that the scale of the consignment could have sustained the illicit market for a considerable period if it had escaped interception.
The Customs boss also disclosed the interception of 108 units of high-definition dual-camera drones from container MSKU 9282528.
While acknowledging that drones have legitimate commercial and civilian applications, Adeniyi warned that security-sensitive equipment could pose a serious threat if placed in the wrong hands.
“Equipment of this kind, in the wrong hands, becomes a means of surveillance, of reconnaissance and of delivery,” he said.
He consequently warned importers of restricted equipment to obtain all necessary security approvals, end-user certificates and other required documentation before shipment.
“Consignments of that character that arrive without them will be detained,” Adeniyi declared.
Five other containers were found to contain expired products, including tomato ketchup, antiseptic liquid, vaginal tablets and disposable nappies.
According to the Comptroller-General, the importation of expired products intended for human consumption or use posed a direct threat to public health.
“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 seizures also included 1,282 bales of used clothing, comprising 425 bales in container MRKU 6185100, 435 bales in MRKU 5535966 and 422 bales in SEKU 4685299.
Adeniyi assured legitimate traders that the Service would continue to facilitate lawful commerce while maintaining stringent scrutiny of high-risk consignments.
He said Customs would continue to deploy intelligence and risk-based enforcement rather than subjecting every legitimate shipment to unnecessary delays.
“Our ports will not be a route through which capability reaches those who are working against the security of this country,” he warned.
He further declared that no port, border station or logistics channel would be allowed to become a safe haven for illicit trade.
“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.
The Customs boss urged importers who were uncertain about the classification, valuation or origin of their goods to take advantage of the Advance Ruling mechanism before shipment.
He also encouraged compliant operators to participate in the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme, which provides more predictable clearance and fewer interventions where risk assessments justify such treatment.
“Compliance is not an obstacle to business; it is an advantage over competitors who lack it,” Adeniyi said.
He commended officers and men of the Apapa Area Command for their vigilance and professionalism, while appreciating the NDLEA, NAFDAC and international security partners for their continued cooperation.
Adeniyi reiterated that the NCS would continue to protect Nigeria’s ports from being used as transit points for narcotics, controlled drugs, security-sensitive equipment and products capable of endangering the health of Nigerians.
“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,” he said.