The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Area II Command in Onne, Rivers State, has intercepted 20 containers of illicit medicines and other contraband items valued at over ₦13 billion.
Outgoing Comptroller of the command, Muhammad Babandede, announced the seizure on Wednesday, describing it as part of his final assignment before his redeployment to Lagos as an Assistant Comptroller General. He referred to the operation as a “parting gift,” reaffirming Customs’ resolve to safeguard public health and national security.
Among the confiscated items were more than one million bottles of codeine syrup, over three million tablets of Diclofenac, more than three million tablets of Benzhexol, and several cartons of laboratory equipment.
The illicit drugs, which originated from India, were concealed and disguised as legitimate imports to evade detection.
Other contraband recovered included used clothing, tomato paste, ceiling fans, plumbing materials, agricultural tools, and additional bales of second-hand clothes.
Babandede commended the support of sister security agencies in the successful interception, adding that the drugs and consumables had been handed over to the NDLEA and NAFDAC for further investigation and action.
He condemned the dangers posed by drug trafficking and abuse, stressing that the Customs Service would not relent in blocking smugglers from exploiting Nigerian ports to endanger lives and compromise national security.
