By Oluyinka Onigbinde
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has dealt a major blow to a suspected international smuggling cartel with the seizure of 16 containers laden with hard drugs, arms, expired pharmaceuticals, banned poultry, and counterfeit goods valued at over ₦10 billion.
The operation also led to the arrest of five suspects, three of whom have been charged to court and remanded in Ikoyi Prison, while two are on administrative bail.
Announcing the development in Lagos on Monday, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said the seizures followed weeks of intelligence gathering, coordinated inspections, and inter-agency collaboration. He vowed that the Service would pursue the importers and their accomplices “network for network” until they are brought to justice, insisting that Nigeria will not be turned into a dumping ground for dangerous imports.
Adeniyi disclosed that one of the containers, a 40-foot box with number MRSU6407089, was initially passed as clean cargo but, upon a secondary joint examination with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), was found to contain 202 cans of “Colorado Loud” (Canadian marijuana) weighing 101 kilogrammes.
He said further scanning of the same container revealed two pump-action rifles, 25 cartridges, a Smith & Wesson pistol with 55 rounds of ammunition, and other accessories concealed within. The container, according to him, was consigned to one Mr. Babatunde Ogidioglu of Lagos.
Other seizures announced by the Customs boss included seven containers of expired drugs and prohibited medicaments, three containers of expired food products—mainly margarine—three containers of absolutely prohibited used clothing, and two 40-foot containers, each carrying 1,290 sacks of frozen poultry. Adeniyi also revealed that one container with number ZZSU7277511 was found to have 305 cartons of unregistered toothpaste concealed under beads and jalabiya in violation of NAFDAC and brand protection regulations.
Two containers of expired chest and lung tablets without NAFDAC registration numbers were also intercepted, while two newly arrived 40-foot containers of codeine syrup were traced to the same syndicate responsible for previous drug imports.
He put the duty-paid value of all the seized items at over ₦10 billion, warning that the figure did not reflect the much higher street value of the goods in the hands of criminals. Adeniyi said the Service would not reverse its decision to stop the transfer of pharmaceutical containers to bonded terminals outside the ports, stressing that many of the operators had failed to meet licensing and compliance obligations.
According to him, intelligence indicates that those arrested are linked to a wider international network of traffickers and smugglers. He assured that the Service would intensify cooperation with agencies such as NAFDAC, NDLEA, and foreign customs administrations under a “Customs-to-Customs Cooperation” framework to track and dismantle the syndicate’s operations.
“We have credible intelligence that these criminal elements are working together. As they collaborate, we will also work together—locally and globally—to crush their operations,” he said.
Adeniyi confirmed that prosecutions have commenced, with three of the suspects already in court and remanded in prison custody, while two are awaiting trial. He warned that the NCS, working with partners, would continue to protect the country from dangerous imports and safeguard its economic and national security interests
