The Area 2 Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), based in Onne, Rivers State, has seized 12 containers loaded with contraband goods, including codeine, tramadol, and other restricted items, at the Onne seaport.
Comptroller Mohammed Babandede, the Area Controller of the Command, disclosed during a press briefing that the illicit substances were concealed within sanitary wares and chilly cutters. According to Babandede, the intercepted goods have a duty-paid value of N20.3 billion and were confiscated between November and December 2024.
Highlighting the success of the operation, Babandede credited the collaboration with other security agencies such as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Police, the Department of State Security (DSS), and others. He emphasized that the seizure reflects the Customs Service’s dedication to safeguarding public health, ensuring national security, and enforcing compliance with Nigeria’s import regulations.
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The breakdown of the confiscated items includes 1,721,100 bottles of 100ml Cough Syrup Codeine, 510,000 tablets of 50mg Really Extra Diclofenac, 7,100,000 tablets of 225mg Royal Apple Tramadol and Tramaking, 3,461 sanitary ware fittings, 840 chilly cutters, and 153 cartons of TVS rubber.
Babandede also used the occasion to highlight other achievements of the Command in 2024. He revealed that the Command surpassed its revenue target of N618 billion set by the Federal Government.
Additionally, in its anti-smuggling operations, the Command seized 76 containers of various items, including arms, ammunition, illicit medicines, vegetable oil, footwear, donkey skins, and used clothing. These seizures had a combined duty-paid value of over N150 billion.
