By Tunde Ojudun
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command, has dismantled another smuggling attempt, intercepting 3,398 cartons (339,800 bottles) of codeine-containing syrup worth ₦3.398 billion Duty Paid Value (DPV).
The operation, carried out on Sunday, 15 March 2026, came just five days after Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR PhD, visited Apapa Port and warned that criminal syndicates would no longer find refuge there.
In a joint effort with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Customs officers uncovered two containers packed with the illicit syrup concealed among household utensils:
– Container MRKU 3816476: 1,700 cartons (170,000 bottles) hidden with insulated casseroles.
– Container TGBU 5399178: 1,698 cartons (169,800 bottles) concealed with pearl plating casseroles.
Both containers have been seized under the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 (as amended).
Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, Customs Area Controller, described the interception as a direct response to the CGC’s charge:
“This seizure, coming just days after the CGC’s visit and warning, is proof of our commitment. Apapa Port will remain extremely hostile to smugglers and drug traffickers.”
He commended NDLEA’s collaboration and reaffirmed the Command’s resolve to protect public health, safeguard national security, and ensure only legitimate trade passes through Nigeria’s busiest port.