By Godwin Oritse
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted surveillance drones, narcotics and expired pharmaceutical products with a combined value of N43.59 billion at the APM Terminals examination bay, Apapa Port, Lagos.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, who disclosed this on Thursday while briefing maritime journalists, said the seized items would be handed over to relevant government agencies for further investigation.
He said the seizures reiterate the broader security responsibilities of the Customs Service beyond revenue generation.
According to him, the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, mandates the Service to not only collect revenue but also safeguard the nation’s supply chain, protect its borders and ensure the safety of goods entering the country.
“The Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023 charges this Service with more than the collection of revenue. It places on us the security of the supply chain, the protection of the border and the safety of what enters this country,” Adeniyi said.
“Revenue is the part of our work that is counted publicly each quarter. The other part is measured in what never reaches the street, and it is that part I am reporting today.
“This administration has approached national security as a whole-of-government undertaking, in which each institution holding a piece of the problem is expected to act on it and to act with the others.
“The seaport is where several of those pieces meet. Narcotics, controlled pharmaceuticals, restricted equipment and unsafe goods arrive in the same containers, through the same agents, under the same false declarations, and they are frequently handled by the same syndicates.
“What has changed in recent years is the method. Concealment is now built into otherwise legitimate consignments. Narcotics are packed among vehicle spare parts and used vehicles. Controlled drugs travel beneath household goods. Restricted equipment is declared as ordinary electronics.
“The Service has therefore spent this period building the means to target. We have strengthened cargo profiling and risk assessment across the commands, deployed the B’Odogwu platform to bring trade data into that assessment, and in July established an INTERPOL Data Centre at our Headquarters in Abuja, the 8th on the African continent giving officers access to more than 152 international databases.
“Alongside this, we have deepened operational cooperation with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NAFDAC, the Office of the National Security Adviser and our international security partners.
“It is against that background that I present the outcome of sustained intelligence-led operations at the Apapa Area Command. A total of 12 containers have been intercepted. Their contents fall into 3 categories, each carrying a consequence well beyond the port: narcotics and controlled pharmaceuticals, security-sensitive equipment, and expired goods intended for human use.
“The total duty paid value of the seizures is ₦43,588,618,859.00. For the public record, the items presented today are as follows: HAMU 3086682. 1 x 40ft. 4,777 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 2,388.5kg, packed in 2 cartons, 48 jumbo bags and 40 drums; assorted automobile spare parts; one carton of coffee mix; 8 cartons of oats; and three vehicles.
“FANU 1933352. 1 x 40ft. 8,287 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 4,145kg, packed in 162 bags; and three vehicles.
“MSKU 3941778. 1 x 20ft. 2,181 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 1,090.5kg, packed in 5 cartons; 148 bags of foreign parboiled rice; assorted automobile spare parts; 2 boxes of lithium batteries; 1 carton of PV combiner box; 19 cartons of turmeric; 33 cartons of mangala fish; and 11 cartons of butterfly fish.
“TCKU 7653306. 1 x 40ft. 1,700 cartons containing 169,998 bottles of codeine syrup, concealed under household items. MSKU 9282528. 2 cartons containing 108 units of high-definition dual camera drones, extracted from the container.
“MRKU 6185100. 1 x 40ft. 425 bales of used clothing. MRKU 5535966. 1 x 40ft. 435 bales of used clothing. SEKU 4685299. 1 x 40ft. 422 bales of used clothing. SUDU 7593139. 1 x 20ft. Fully loaded with expired tomato ketchup.
“PCIU 2834954. 1 x 20ft. Fully loaded with expired antiseptic liquid. ZCSU 8749546. 1 x 40ft. Fully loaded with expired vaginal tablets. PONU 7890827. 1 x 40ft. Fully loaded with expired disposable nappies.
“MSKU 1524590. 1 x 40ft. Fully loaded with expired disposable nappies.
“The 3 narcotics containers together held 15,245 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 7,624kg, or 7 ½ tonnes. The used clothing amounted to 1,282 bales.
“The abuse of prohibited substances like codeine among young Nigerians has been the subject of national concern for years, and its connection to violent conduct, to family breakdown and to the loss of productive lives is well documented.
“A single container of this size would have supplied that trade for a considerable period. Cannabis interceptions are the product of inter-agency work with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, supported by credible intelligence from international security partners. That intelligence was analysed and acted upon here, through cargo profiling, documentary scrutiny and targeted examination by officers of this Service. I thank the NDLEA and our international partners for their cooperation.
“We also extracted 108 units of high-definition dual-camera drones from an intercepted container. Drones have lawful uses, and this Service has no quarrel with them. But equipment of this kind, in the wrong hands, becomes a means of surveillance, of reconnaissance and of delivery, and our security agencies have already met it in that role in the field.
“Let me be plain with importers. Restricted and security sensitive equipment requires the appropriate security approvals, end-user certificates and documentation before clearance. Consignments of that character that arrive without them will be detained. Our ports will not be a route through which capability reaches those who are working against the security of this country.
“Five containers were loaded with expired tomato ketchup, antiseptic liquid, vaginal tablets and disposable nappies. These are products applied to the body and consumed by households. Their importation after expiry places children, women and other consumers at risk of harm.
“The seized items will be handed over to the relevant narcotics agencies for further action and closure, at the same time, the public is encouraged to go on with their legitimate activities and be rest assured that Customs will continue to ensure continued and quick movement of legitimate trade.
“Let me also commend the officers and men of the Apapa Area Command for the vigilance and professionalism that produced these results, and I thank the NDLEA, NAFDAC and our international partners for their cooperation. Our ports must serve lawful commerce, industrial growth and the prosperity of this country.”
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