Nigeria Customs Seizes ₦3.398bn Codeine Syrup Hidden in Containers at Apapa Port

Nigeria Customs Seizes ₦3.398bn Codeine Syrup Hidden in Containers at Apapa Port

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command, has intercepted and seized two containers loaded with codeine-containing syrup valued at ₦3.398 billion at the Apapa Port, in a joint operation with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), as authorities intensify the crackdown on drug trafficking through Nigeria’s busiest seaport.

The seizure comes barely five days after the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, visited the port and warned that the facility would no longer serve as a safe haven for smugglers disguising illicit cargo under legitimate trade documentation.

In a statement issued on Monday by the Apapa Command’s Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Customs I. Sulaiman, the Customs Area Controller, Emmanuel Oshoba, disclosed that the interception occurred on Sunday, March 15, 2026.

According to the statement, officers of the command, working in collaboration with the NDLEA, intercepted two containers loaded with 3,398 cartons, equivalent to 339,800 bottles, of codeine-containing syrup concealed among household utensils.

The statement explained that container number MRKU 3816476 was found to contain 1,700 cartons, equivalent to 170,000 bottles, of the syrup hidden alongside 38 cartons of pearl plating insulated casserole and bullet insulated hotspots.

Another container, numbered TGBU 5399178, contained 1,698 cartons, equivalent to 169,800 bottles, concealed with 36 cartons of pearl plating casserole.

The total Duty Paid Value of the seized items was estimated at ₦3,398,000,000.

Customs authorities said both containers had been officially converted to seizures in accordance with the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

Speaking on the development, Oshoba described the interception as a clear demonstration of the command’s commitment to the directives of the Customs Comptroller-General.

“This fresh seizure, coming just five days after the CGC’s visit and strong warning to criminal elements, is a direct response to his charge. We are fully aligned with the Service’s intelligence-led enforcement strategy and will continue to make Apapa Port extremely hostile to smugglers and drug traffickers,” he said.

He also commended the NDLEA for what he described as seamless collaboration and support in the successful operation.

Oshoba reaffirmed that the Apapa Area Command remains resolute in protecting public health, safeguarding national security, and ensuring that only legitimate trade passes through the port in line with the Service’s renewed emphasis on technology-driven operations and zero tolerance for smuggling.