The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command, has intercepted prohibited goods valued at more than N3.2 billion in a major crackdown on smuggling at the nation’s busiest seaport.
Customs Area Controller, Comptroller BO Olomu, disclosed the seizures during a press briefing in Lagos on Thursday, attributing the success to intensified anti-smuggling operations and robust collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Under Comptroller Olomu’s leadership, the command has prioritised compliance over trade facilitation where necessary. He credited the support of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, for backing recent enforcement efforts.
The latest seizures involve six containers laden with unregistered pharmaceuticals, used clothing, cosmetics, and two smuggled luxury vehicles, all with a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N3,247,427,969.00.
Breakdown of Seizures: Category 1: Codeine Syrup Concealed in Sanitary Ware
Container No. SUDU 8685733 (40ft): 1,698 cartons of RTPL CSC Cough Syrup with Codeine concealed in water closet packages.
Container No. MRSU 4846204 (40ft): 1,690 cartons of Codeine syrup hidden inside toilet seats.
Estimated street value: N2.71 billion.
Comptroller Olomu said these seizures were based on international intelligence and joint operations with the NDLEA.
Category 2: Falsely Declared Pharmaceuticals
Container No. ONEU 1153150 (40ft): 1,584 packages of Globatin anti-marks and Clobetasol cream, falsely declared as truck tyres.
Container No. MRSU 3258823 (40ft): Various unregistered pharmaceutical products, including Rabeprazole for injection, Zahifranil tablets, and Ciprophetadine with vitamin B complex, misdeclared as kitchen wares and tables.
Category 3: Smuggled Vehicles and Used Clothing
Container No. MRKU 0904594 (40ft): Two stolen luxury vehicles from Canada — a 2024 Lexus RX 450 and a 2023 Lexus RX 350 — falsely declared as food items.
Container No. SEKU 4716830 (40ft): 390 bales of used clothing, contravening Nigeria’s import prohibition laws.
Comptroller Olomu said these imports violated the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, as well as international conventions, including the World Customs Organization’s Operation STOP IV, which targets counterfeit and unlicensed medical imports globally.
He reaffirmed the command’s zero-tolerance stance on smuggling and reiterated its commitment to protecting public health and national economic security.
