The Nigeria Customs Service, on Wednesday, handed over nine containers of seized hard drugs, expired, fake and prohibited pharmaceutical products with a duty-paid value of N53.391 billion to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.
Speaking during the handover ceremony in Apapa, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said the seizures reflected the outcome of diligent intelligence gathering and inter-agency collaboration aimed at protecting public health and national security.
He said the seizures were made by the Apapa Area Command following intelligence gathering, scanning analysis, physical examination and collaboration with the NDLEA.
Adeniyi said the event, coming days after the commemoration of the 2026 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, reaffirmed the service’s commitment to protecting Nigeria’s borders, safeguarding public health and strengthening national security through intelligence-driven border management.
He said the seizures included a 40-foot container with registration number CAAU7569127 containing 3,639 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 1,819.5 kilograms, concealed alongside three imported vehicles and assorted automobile spare parts.
He added that another 40-foot container, with registration number HAMU3246311, contained 9,918 sachets of cannabis sativa weighing approximately 4.95 metric tonnes, concealed alongside two imported vehicles and household items.
According to him, another 40-foot container, with registration number MRKU3816476, contained 1,700 cartons of codeine syrup concealed with 38 cartons of insulated casserole dishes.
“Another 40-foot container with registration number TGBU5399178 conveying 1,698 cartons of codeine syrup concealed inside 36 cartons of casserole products; a 40-foot container, HASU4519480, conveying 1,300 cartons of expired pharmaceutical products, including tramadol; a 40-foot container with registration number MRKU4961275 conveying 1,269 cartons of expired pharmaceutical products, including oxytocin injections, Mexclor eye drops and carbamazepine tablets; another consignment in a 40-foot container with registration number PCIU8771576 comprising expired pharmaceutical products, including cloxicillin capsules, Cynamine 12 Vitamin B12 injections and Becoline B-Complex injections. All intercepted for regulatory action,” Adeniyi said.
He added that a 20-foot container with registration number MRKU6964435 containing Piccan teething powder and another 40-foot container with registration number TCKU7000791 containing 1,100 packages of Chacold chlorpheniramine maleate capsules bearing a fake National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control registration number and an expiry date of December 2028 were also seized.
“Cumulatively, these nine seizures have a duty-paid value of N53.391 billion only,” he said.
The Customs boss said the seizures resulted from intelligence analysis and non-intrusive inspection.
According to him, although the consignments initially appeared legitimate, detailed verification of the NAFDAC certificate presented by the declarant revealed that the products were not registered with the agency.
Adeniyi said the use of fake registration numbers and supporting documentation indicated a deliberate attempt to smuggle unregistered pharmaceutical products into Nigeria, posing a serious threat to public health.
“Consequently, the consignment was seized in accordance with the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, and will be handed over to NAFDAC for further regulatory action and investigation,” he said.
“They represent lives protected, families preserved, communities secured and countless young Nigerians shielded from the devastating consequences of drug abuse and unsafe medicines,” he said.
The CGC warned that the importation of expired pharmaceuticals and controlled substances poses a direct threat to public health, while the sophisticated concealment methods employed by criminal networks demonstrated their determination to exploit legitimate trade channels for illicit purposes.
He, however, said the interceptions also showed that the NCS possessed the intelligence capability, technological capacity and operational readiness to detect and disrupt such criminal activities.
“In accordance with the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, narcotic drugs falling within the statutory jurisdiction of the NDLEA will today be formally handed over to the agency for further investigation and prosecution. Similarly, expired pharmaceutical products will be transferred to NAFDAC for regulatory action and safe disposal,” he said.
He explained that where prohibited items were concealed alongside vehicles, automobile spare parts or other imported goods, only the narcotic drugs and expired pharmaceuticals would be handed over, while the remaining items would remain in Customs’ custody for seizure, forfeiture, condemnation, revenue recovery and other enforcement actions.
Commending officers of the Apapa Area Command, Adeniyi said the service would continue to deepen collaboration with relevant government agencies, the private sector and international partners to prevent criminal organisations from exploiting Nigeria’s ports and borders.
He vowed that every intelligence lead would be pursued, every violation thoroughly investigated and every offender brought to justice.
“We remain committed to building a secure trading environment that protects our economy, safeguards public health and reinforces national security. To those who seek to use our ports to traffic illicit drugs, expired pharmaceuticals or other prohibited goods, let today’s operation send a clear and unmistakable message that Nigeria’s ports are no longer safe havens for smugglers or organised criminal networks. Through technology, intelligence, coordinated border management and the professionalism of our officers, the Nigeria Customs Service is steadily closing the gaps previously exploited by criminal syndicates,” Adeniyi said.
He added that the service would continue to intercept, expose and prosecute all those who threaten the economy, compromise public health or undermine national security.
Earlier, the Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), while taking over the seized narcotics, described the event as a landmark in the collaboration between the NDLEA and the NCS.
Marwa, represented by Assistant Commander of Narcotics Archie-Abia Ogboba, said, “Together, we have taken 6,778.5 kilograms of Cannabis Indica, popularly known as ‘Canadian Loud,’ out of circulation.
Through two major seizures recorded on 15 and 24 June 2026, we send a clear and unequivocal message that we are more determined than ever to dismantle organised criminal syndicates and drug trafficking networks operating within and beyond our borders.”
Marwa added that both seizures resulted from intelligence-led operations conducted by the NDLEA Special Investigation Unit and Marine Intelligence Unit in collaboration with foreign partners, particularly the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
“Over four months, actionable intelligence was carefully developed, and our marine surveillance officers tracked the vessels and containers throughout their journey until both were successfully intercepted,” he said.
The death toll from a daylight attack by suspected bandits on farmlands in Sauna District, Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State, has risen to 23, community sources confirmed on Thursday.
Earlier reports put the number of those killed at 16. According to fresh accounts from Sauna District, the figure increased after more bodies were recovered from the farms.
Residents said the victims were attacked while working on their farmlands on Thursday morning.
An indigene of the area who wanted to remain anonymous for security reasons said the bandits, who arrived on multiple motorcycles, opened fire indiscriminately on anyone found in the fields.
Immediately after they arrived at the farmlands, they opened fire indiscriminately, killing all the farmers working there.
“The assailants came in groups and shot at farmers without warning.”
He added that the remains of all 23 victims were buried in a mass burial at the palace of the district head in Sauna.
According to him, the burial was conducted earlier on Thursday.
At the time of filing this report, the security authorities had not released an official statement on the incident.
Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the state Police Command, DSP Yazid Abubakar, proved abortive, as his phone number could not be reached.
Meanwhile, the people of Sauna District and other parts of the state have been experiencing repeated attacks on farming communities in recent years, with residents often targeted while working on their farms.
Reports of an alleged case of infidelity are currently in Kogi Facebook community after a married woman was allegedly caught cheating on her husband with another man.
It was gathered that the incident occurred in Odu Okpiyegede community, Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State.
According to the reports, the woman was caught in the act with her alleged lover, a resident of Odu Ofugo in Dekina LGA. Both of them were then made to sit on the floor as a form of humiliation.
The Federal High Court, Abuja, has sentenced three suspects in the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State to life imprisonment.
Three convicts, Abdulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa, and Shamsudin Sani were convicted and sentenced on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
The trio arraigned before Justice Salim Ibrahim of the Federal high Court Abuja, also pleaded guilty to being members of Darul Salam, an affiliate Ansaru, a proscribed terrorist organization.
The first and third defendant Abdulrazak Umar and Shamsudin Sani pleaded guilty to providing training, instructions, and inciting members of their WhatsApp group titled “The oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace”
Abdulrazak Umar also pleaded guilty to mining of Gold at streams in Chaza area, Suleja LGA, Niger State without lawful authorization.
However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to other charges as it affects them respectively.
Justice Salim ordered that the life sentence should start from the date of the convicts’ arrest.
Before the sentencing by Justice Salim Ibrahim, counsel for the defendants pleaded with the court to sentence them on liberal terms.
He added that they were first-time offenders and had pleaded guilty.Ibrahim pointed out that this showed that they were remorseful of their actions, and all the counts they were charged with are not related to the kidnapping.
He added that the convicts were married men who have children and have aged parents who are dependent on them.
He pleaded with the court to give them a second chance at life and sentence them on liberal terms.
Counsel for the prosecution, however, pointed out that the convicts were aware of the people on the battlefield, and as true Nigerians, they should have reported it to the authorities.
The federal government has arraigned the trio over their involvement in the kidnapping of school children and teachers in Oriire local government area of Oyo State, between January and May 2026.
