By Seun Ibiyemi
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Tuesday announced the seizure of 13 containers of prohibited, expired and falsely declared goods valued at over N6.81 billion at Apapa Port in Lagos.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this while addressing journalists at the Apapa Command APMT Terminal in Lagos.
He said the seizures were made following detailed scanning analysis and thorough physical examination by customs officers.
Adeniyi revealed that among the intercepted items was a 40-foot container (HASU 4072659) loaded with large quantities of expired pharmaceutical products, including Mixagrip Cold Caplets, Ladinax tablets, chloroquine injections and diclofenac tablets.
He further explained that two other 40-foot containers (MRSU 4584911 and MRSU 6913370) were found to contain large consignments of unregistered pharmaceutical products, including Hyegra 200 and Sildenafil Citrate.
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According to him, customs officers also uncovered a 20-foot container (MRKU 8830266) carrying 800 cartons of codeine (TPL CSC) that had been deliberately concealed inside toilet flushing cisterns and sanitary ware.
Another container (MRSU 5147562) was found to contain cartons of Artesunate 60 injections.
The customs boss also disclosed that a 20-foot container (PCIU 286888) was loaded with restricted security equipment imported without the required End User Certificates.
The items included bulletproof vests, helmets, walkie-talkies and tactical torches.
Additional seizures included a 20-foot container (TCLU 3819607) carrying expired muffin cookie biscuits, a 20-foot container (UGMU 8692902) containing 36,000 cans of expired Primo energy drinks, and another container (SUDU 1696593) loaded with expired St. Kelvin tomato paste.
Similarly, a container (TCLU 1923314) was discovered to contain expired De Truth tomato paste.
Adeniyi also disclosed that a 40-foot container (TCNU 7257465) contained 1,700 cartons of codeine cough syrup concealed among luxury food flasks, while another container (CAAU 8375050) held 1,575 cartons of CSMIX with codeine hidden among 156 cartons of electric kettles.
Other pharmaceutical products seized included 13 cartons of Bristol brand Co-codamol 500mg and two cartons of Zevita brand Co-codamol 500mg.
In a separate operation, customs officers intercepted 13 jumbo bags of Cannabis Sativa, popularly known as Colorado, weighing 347.57 kilograms.
The drugs were concealed inside a Toyota Sienna vehicle with chassis number 5TDDK3DC7DS057669.
Adeniyi warned that the importation of expired drugs and controlled substances poses a serious threat to public health, while the concealment of codeine-based products reflects deliberate attempts to fuel substance abuse and undermine the healthcare system.
He stressed that Apapa Port would no longer serve as a safe haven for smugglers or criminal networks attempting to disguise illegal cargo under legitimate trade documentation.
The Comptroller-General added that under the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, the seized consignments are liable to outright forfeiture, while penalties will be imposed, evaded revenues recovered and individuals linked to the shipments prosecuted.
He noted that Apapa Port remains Nigeria’s busiest maritime gateway and a critical trade corridor in West Africa.
According to him, the service has been collaborating with other government agencies and industry stakeholders to address persistent port congestion and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s seaports.
Adeniyi said recent initiatives such as the launch of the Green Channel at the Lekki Deep Seaport are part of efforts to accelerate cargo clearance for compliant traders while strengthening enforcement against high-risk consignments.
Providing operational statistics, he disclosed that 3,236 consignments at Apapa Port were processed through the Orange channel using non-intrusive inspection scanning, while 5,490 consignments passed through the Yellow channel for documentary checks.
He added that 21,373 consignments were subjected to full physical examination under the Red channel, while 1,118 consignments were processed through the Blue channel and 149 through the Green channel, reflecting varying levels of trade facilitation based on compliance and risk profiling.
