The Nigeria Customs Service has unveiled seized goods valued at ₦43.59 billion at the Apapa Area Command in Lagos.
Addressing journalists on Thursday, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said criminal networks were adopting increasingly sophisticated concealment methods.
“What has changed in recent years is the method. Concealment is now built into otherwise legitimate consignments,” Adeniyi said.
The items include 7.6 tonnes of cannabis, 169,998 bottles of codeine syrup, 108 high-definition drones and several containers of expired consumer products.
He said narcotics were being hidden among vehicle spare parts and used vehicles. Controlled pharmaceuticals were concealed beneath household goods, while restricted equipment was sometimes declared as ordinary electronics.
“We have strengthened cargo profiling and risk assessment across the commands,” he said, adding that Customs had also intensified intelligence-led examination and inter-agency cooperation.
Three intercepted containers held 15,245 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 7,624 kilogrammes. A separate 40-foot container carried 1,700 cartons containing 169,998 bottles of codeine syrup, concealed beneath household items.
Adeniyi said the cannabis interceptions resulted from collaboration with the NDLEA and international security partners. “That intelligence was analysed and acted upon here, through cargo profiling, documentary scrutiny and targeted examination,” he said.
Customs also intercepted 108 high-definition dual-camera drones. Adeniyi said the importation of security-sensitive equipment required appropriate approvals.
“Our ports will not be a route through which capability reaches those who are working against the security of this country,” he said.
Other seized goods included expired tomato ketchup, antiseptic liquid, vaginal tablets and disposable nappies. Used clothing, foreign rice and other assorted goods were also intercepted.
Adeniyi said Customs would continue to target high-risk cargo while facilitating legitimate trade. “Compliance is not an obstacle to business; it is an advantage over competitors who lack it,” he said.
“Our ports must serve lawful commerce, industrial growth and the prosperity of this country,” Adeniyi added.
