N3.25 Billion Smuggling Bust: Apapa Customs Intercepts Codeine, Fake Drugs, Stolen SUVs
In one of the biggest anti-smuggling breakthroughs in recent times, the Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted six containers filled with contraband items worth a staggering ₦3.25 billion.
The haul includes cartons of codeine syrup cleverly hidden in toilet seats, unregistered pharmaceuticals, fake cosmetics, hundreds of bales of used clothing, and two luxury SUVs stolen from Canada.
At a press briefing on Thursday, May 22, 2025, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, disclosed that the massive seizure was the result of the command’s relentless enforcement of anti-smuggling measures and intelligence-sharing with other agencies.
“This command is not sacrificing compliance on the altar of trade facilitation,” Olomu declared. He emphasized that while the NCS remains committed to promoting trade and generating revenue, “its foremost duty remains safeguarding the Nigerian public from harmful imports.”
Two of the intercepted containers were found to contain over 3,300 cartons of codeine-laced cough syrup with an estimated street value of N2.7 billion. The shipment was concealed inside toilet seats and was flagged through a joint operation involving international partners and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). Other intercepted goods included mis-declared skincare products, unregistered medical tablets, 390 bales of second-hand clothing, and two Lexus SUVs smuggled from Canada.
Olomu confirmed that the illicit imports contravene the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 and violate international protocols such as the World Customs Organization’s Operation STOP IV, which targets counterfeit and unauthorised pharmaceutical trafficking.
He added that three suspects have been arrested in connection with the seizure and are currently undergoing investigation.
The Apapa Command also announced a landmark revenue collection of ₦1.094 trillion as of May 21, 2025—surpassing its set target. Olomu attributed the achievement to enhanced operational capacity and strategic improvements that led to record-breaking daily revenue collections in October 2024, and again in March and May 2025. Issuing a stern warning to would-be smugglers, Olomu declared, “Apapa Port will remain a no-go area for unlawful activity. Our officers are fully prepared to detect concealments, seize goods, and make arrests where necessary.”
Reacting to the development, NDLEA Assistant Commander General of Narcotics, Buba Wakawa, explained that smugglers have changed routes in response to enforcement efforts. “We signed an MoU with India to halt the production of codeine destined for Nigerian importers.
“In response, smugglers shifted manufacturing to neighbouring countries like Chad and redirected supplies into Nigeria. But with strengthened collaboration, we are closing that gap.”
Also speaking on the significance of the seizure, Kingsley Odumah, Deputy Director of Port Inspection at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), commended the strong synergy among port agencies, noting that such cooperation is essential to combat the influx of falsified and unregistered medical products into the country.
This operation underscores the NCS’s evolving capability to respond to increasingly sophisticated smuggling tactics and affirms the government’s broader effort to secure the nation’s borders against dangerous and illicit goods.
