Customs seizes N6.19bn smuggled goods, including 3.4 tonnes of cannabis
- Customs Federal Operations Unit Zone A seized smuggled goods worth ₦6.19bn in four weeks, including 3.4 tonnes of cannabis.
- Acting Comptroller Oladapo Afeni said the unit made 195 seizures and also recovered ₦683.66m in extra revenue.
- He warned the 23,220 seized machetes could be used to disrupt peaceful elections.
The Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted smuggled goods with a duty-paid value of ₦6.19 billion in four weeks, including about 3.4 tonnes of cannabis and 23,220 new machetes.
The seizures were made by the service's Federal Operations Unit, Zone A. The unit's Acting Comptroller, Oladapo Afeni, announced the haul on Tuesday at his first press briefing in Ikeja, Lagos.
Afeni said officers stopped 195 smuggling attempts in the period, and put the total value of the goods at ₦6,194,695,947.05.
What was seized
The cannabis came in 5,986 parcels weighing 3,407.83 kilogrammes. Officers also found 400 grammes of cocaine, 100 grammes of methamphetamine and codeine syrup.
Other items included 1,250 rounds of 12-calibre cartridges, 4,334 bags of imported rice, 6,949 cartons of spaghetti, 173 cartons of frozen poultry, 1,236 used tyres, 21 foreign-used vehicles and 8,025 litres of petrol. Eight live pangolins were also recovered.
Sources differ slightly on the rice: Nairametrics and PM News reported 4,334 bags, while Leadership put the figure at 3,028 bags of 50kg.
Afeni said the unit also intercepted a 40-foot container carrying 2,760 office chairs in knocked-down form.
He said the operations relied on better intelligence, surveillance and cooperation with agencies including the NDLEA, the police, the DSS, NAFDAC and the army.
Why it matters
The machetes worried him most. He said they were brought in without the required certificates and permits and could be used to disrupt peaceful elections in the coming months.
Election violence is rarely an isolated incident but facilitated and aided by smuggling activities like the one thwarted by our operatives.
On the cannabis, Afeni cited the UNODC's 2025 World Drug Report, which says cannabis remains the most widely available and widely used illicit drug and accounts for about 42 per cent of drug use disorder cases worldwide. He said potent strains sold as Colorado have damaged young lives.
He also said the seizures protect local farmers and producers from cheap imported food, and keep revenue that would otherwise be lost.
The unit recovered an extra ₦683.66 million between September 30 and November 3 by checking declarations and correcting under-valued goods.
What happens next
Afeni said seized narcotics and suspects will be handed to the NDLEA for investigation and possible prosecution, while other prohibited goods go to the relevant agencies.
He urged Nigerians to report suspicious smuggling activity, saying: "Smuggling thrives where it is tolerated, protected or ignored."
