The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa command, has disclosed a harvest of seizures of 16 container loads of illegal imports worth over N10.273 billion, with arms, ammunition, adulterated pharmaceuticals, military hardware topping the list.
Comptroller General (CG) of the Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who addressed newsmen at the Apapa command, Monday, said the seizures has justified his management’s earlier resolve to stop the stemming of pharmaceuticals laden container imports to bonded warehouses where adequate vigilance is not often guaranteed.
Adeniyi stated that due to the nefarious activities going on at the Bonded terminals, all containerised pharmaceuticals will no longer be stemmed to terminals outside the seaports.
According to him, barely three weeks ago, he was at the same spot in Apapa to hand over some seized pharmaceutical products to the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) with a similar exercise carried out in Onne last week.
‘These preventive anti- smuggling activities aside being part of their core mandate also strengthen their inter-agency relationship and uphold the signed MoU with NAFDAC and robust synergy with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)’.
He said the current seizures of 16 containers were laden with prohibited drugs,expired medicament, expired food, and other items that run foul of their import prohibition guidelines, including arms and ammunition. These smuggled items have a harmful effect on the health and wellbeing of unsuspecting Nigerians who would have consumed them, in addition to causing insecurity in the country’.
Displaying the items which included two riffles and a Weston and Smith pistol, the Customs boss enthused, ‘It is important to once again reiterate that the NCS is ever committed to rid Nigeria of illicit and harmful medical importation by breaking their supply chain as we ensure they don’t go beyond our seaports, airports and land borders into our commercial ecosystem.
Despite our campaigns against these kinds of importation backed with seizures and arrests, the people I call merchants of death have chosen Apapa Port as an entry point for prohibited items. As usual,they failed to pull through. We are resolute to confront these people who do not mean well for Nigerians and the economy by ensuring our entry points are not used for their unlawful acts’.
Continuing with details of the sundry seizures made possible by collaborating with sister agencies also included, ‘three (3) containers of expired margarine, three (3) containers of used clothes and five (5) containers carrying expired drugs, prohibited medicament and colorado hemp’.
Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, who narrated the antics of the smugglers steps in. On 24 July 2025, during a joint physical examination with the NDLEA, a 1x40ft container number MRSU 6407089 was found to contain 202 cans of Colorado Loud a species of cannabis from Canada) with each Can weighing 500 grams totaling 101Kg. Also, inside the same container, we uncovered 2 pump action rifles, 25 cartridges of ammunition, one Pistol with 55 rounds of ammunition, 1 blank, and other accessories.
‘Confirming a case of false declaration and attempting to circumvent our processes, the system bill of laden listed the items of import as three Toyota Sienna and 1 Toyota Camry vehicles with the consignee as Babatunde Ogidiolu Samuel’.
Explaining further, he said, ‘consequently, two suspects, the agent, one Mr. Modi Azuka of No.1 Miracle Street, Ago Palace Way, and another suspect identified as Mrs.Lisa Akpedeme have been arrested and detained in connection with the Canadian Loud and weapons.They are currently undergoing interrogation. We also seized container number OERU 4243517 (40FT) found to contain 1,290 sacks of frozen chicken breast and another FBIU 5507953 found to contain (40FT)1,290 sacks of frozen chicken breast’.
In a related development, he said another seized container number ZCSU 7277511 (40FT) was found to contain 305 cartons of toothpaste without NAFDAC Registration number, cartons of slippers concealed in 46 cartons of beads,40 cartons of Jalabiya, amongst others.
‘Furthermore, just this morning, operatives at the Apapa port intercepted two containers (1x40ft and 1x20ft) carrying 2,401 cartons of codeine syrup. We also have another two suspects in connection with two containers of smuggled frozen poultry products. For the arms, ammunition and drugs, the two suspects shall be handed over to the NDLEA and DSS for further investigation and prosecution while the other two held for the poultry products shall be handed over to NAFDAC.
