Joyce Mmereole Okoli
The Nigeria Customs Service, Apapa Area Command, has uncovered a cache of illegal imports including codeine-laced cough syrup, unregistered cosmetics, and two stolen luxury vehicles with a duty-paid value exceeding N3.2 billion.
Announcing the seizures at a press conference, Comptroller Babatunde Olomo described the six intercepted containers as “ticking time bombs,” warning that the items posed serious threats to public health and national security.
Two containers, packed with 3,388 cartons of codeine syrup, were camouflaged as sanitary fittings like toilet seats and water closets. Estimated street value: N2.71 billion.
Another pair of containers carried unregistered drugs and cosmetic creams including powerful steroids and injectable medications smuggled under false declarations such as truck tyres and kitchenware.
A fifth container was discovered with two stolen Lexus SUVs a 2024 RX 450 and a 2023 RX 350 shipped from Canada and declared as food items.
The sixth container held 390 bales of used clothing, a product banned under Nigeria’s import laws.
“This is a clear case of economic sabotage,” said Olomo. “We’re not just seizing goods we’re shutting down criminal networks and protecting Nigerians from dangerous substances.”
The operation was carried out with support from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and international partners. NDLEA Assistant Commander Buba Wakawa praised the joint effort, revealing that traffickers are shifting routes through countries like Chad as tighter controls take effect in India, a former source of codeine exports.
“These criminals are adapting, but so are we,” Wakawa said. “Our inter-agency collaboration is closing the loopholes, one bust at a time.”
The seized containers are now under investigation, with prosecutions expected to follow.