By Ayomide Otitoju
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 16 containers loaded with drugs, arms, and other prohibited goods valued at over ₦10 billion at the APMT terminal loading bay, Apapa Port, Lagos.
Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, announced the seizure on Monday during a joint press briefing with senior security officials, including representatives of the Police, NDLEA, and NAFDAC. He said the operation was part of a coordinated security effort to block illicit imports that threaten national safety.
Among the intercepted consignments was a 40-foot container (MRSU6407089) concealing 101 kilograms of “Colorado Loud” — a potent strain of cannabis — along with two pump-action rifles, 25 cartridges, a Smith & Wesson pistol with 55 rounds of ammunition, one blank, and accessories. The consignee was identified as Mr. Babatunde Ogidiolu of Lagos.
Other seizures included a container of counterfeit toothpaste infringing on a Nigerian brand’s trademark, concealed alongside beads and jalabi dresses.
Adeniyi said five suspects have been arrested in connection with the operation. Three have been charged to court and remanded at Ikoyi Prisons, while two remain on administrative bail awaiting trial. Intelligence reports, he added, suggest the seizures were linked to an organised network of syndicates operating in collaboration.
“We acted on consistent intelligence ahead of the containers’ arrival. When we opened them overnight, we confirmed it was codeine,” he told journalists, adding that swift arrests were made to prevent the illegal cargo from leaving the port.
The CGC reaffirmed the NCS’ decision to halt the transfer of pharmaceutical containers to bonded terminals outside the ports due to poor compliance, stressing that high-risk cargo such as drugs would undergo strict, intelligence-driven inspections at the port of arrival.
“Security comes first,” he said. “As these criminal elements work together, we will also work together — locally and internationally — to identify them and protect our nation’s collective peace and security.”
The seized drugs and pharmaceuticals have been handed over to the NDLEA and NAFDAC for further investigation, while the firearms will be processed by the relevant security agencies.
