The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command, has intercepted two containers loaded with thousands of bottles of codeine-containing syrup with an estimated Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦3.398 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
The seizure came 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 and criminal syndicates hiding behind legitimate trade documentation.
According to the command, the interception was carried out on Sunday, March 15, 2026, in a joint operation with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The operation led to the discovery of 3,398 cartons containing 339,800 bottles of codeine-containing syrup carefully concealed inside household utensils.
Providing details of the seizure, the command disclosed that container number MRKU 3816476 was found to contain 1,700 cartons, equivalent to 170,000 bottles of the controlled syrup, hidden alongside 38 cartons of pearl-plating insulated casserole and five-bullet insulated hotspot utensils.
A second container, identified as TGBU 5399178, was discovered to contain 1,698 cartons representing 169,800 bottles of the codeine syrup concealed with 36 cartons of pearl-plating casserole.
The command stated that the two containers have been officially seized in accordance with the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.
Speaking on the development, the Customs Area Controller of the Apapa Command, Emmanuel Oshoba, said the latest interception demonstrates the command’s resolve to enforce the directives of the Comptroller-General and strengthen intelligence-driven enforcement operations.
“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 on us. 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.
Oshoba also commended the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for what he described as seamless collaboration and support that led to the successful operation.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the Apapa Area Command to protecting public health, safeguarding national security, and facilitating only legitimate trade through the nation’s busiest seaport.
The command further stressed that its operations align with the Comptroller-General’s renewed emphasis on technology-driven enforcement and a zero-tolerance stance against smuggling activities across Nigeria’s ports and borders.
