Customs Seizes N3.398b Codeine Syrup at Apapa Port

Customs Seizes N3.398b Codeine Syrup at Apapa Port

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command, has intercepted two containers loaded with codeine-based cough syrup valued at N3.398 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos.

The seizure comes barely five days after the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, visited the port and warned that the facility would no longer serve as a safe haven for smugglers and criminal syndicates disguising illicit consignments as legitimate imports.

Customs officials disclosed that the interception was carried out on March 15, 2026, during a joint operation with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

According to the Apapa Area Command, the containers were found to contain a total of 3,398 cartons, equivalent to 339,800 bottles, of codeine-containing syrup concealed inside shipments of household utensils.

The Command said the combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seized items stands at N3,398,000,000.

Details of the operation showed that container number MRKU 3816476 contained 1,700 cartons, equivalent to 170,000 bottles, of the syrup concealed alongside 38 cartons of pearl-plated insulated casseroles and bullet-shaped insulated hotspots.

Another container, numbered TGBU 5399178, was found to contain 1,698 cartons, or 169,800 bottles, hidden among 36 cartons of pearl-plated casserole utensils.

The containers have since been confiscated in line with the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

Speaking on the development, the Customs Area Controller of the Apapa Command, Emmanuel Oshoba, said the interception reflects the command’s resolve to enforce the directives of the Comptroller-General and intensify the fight against smuggling.

“This fresh seizure, coming just five days after the CGC’s visit and his strong warning to criminal elements, is a direct response to his charge to us,” Oshoba said.

He added, “We are fully aligned with the Service’s intelligence-led enforcement strategy and will continue to make Apapa Port extremely hostile to smugglers and drug traffickers.”

The controller also commended the NDLEA for what he described as effective collaboration and support in the successful operation.

Oshoba reiterated that the Apapa Area Command remains committed to safeguarding public health, protecting national security, and facilitating legitimate trade in line with the Service’s technology-driven operations and zero-tolerance policy against smuggling.