Customs seize N6.19bn smuggled goods, including 3.4 tonnes of cannabis
- Customs Federal Operations Unit Zone A seize smuggled goods wey worth ₦6.19bn in four weeks, including 3.4 tonnes of cannabis.
- Acting Comptroller Oladapo Afeni talk say di unit make 195 seizures and also recover ₦683.66m in extra revenue.
- He warn say di 23,220 seized machetes fit be used to disturb peaceful elections.
Di Nigeria Customs Service don intercept smuggled goods wey get duty-paid value of ₦6.19 billion in four weeks, including about 3.4 tonnes of cannabis and 23,220 new machetes.
Di seizures na di service's Federal Operations Unit, Zone A make. Di unit's Acting Comptroller, Oladapo Afeni, announce di haul on Tuesday at him first press briefing in Ikeja, Lagos.
Afeni talk say officers stop 195 smuggling attempts in di period, and put di total value of di goods at ₦6,194,695,947.05.
Wetin dem seize
Di cannabis come in 5,986 parcels wey weigh 3,407.83 kilogrammes. Officers also find 400 grammes of cocaine, 100 grammes of methamphetamine and codeine syrup.
Oda items include 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. Dem also recover eight live pangolins.
Sources differ small on di rice: Nairametrics and PM News report 4,334 bags, while Leadership put di figure at 3,028 bags of 50kg.
Afeni talk say di unit also intercept one 40-foot container wey carry 2,760 office chairs in knocked-down form.
He talk say di operations rely on better intelligence, surveillance and cooperation with agencies including NDLEA, police, DSS, NAFDAC and army.
Why e matter
Di machetes worry am pass. He talk say dem bring am without di required certificates and permits and e fit be used to disturb peaceful elections in di coming months.
Election violence no dey happen alone but smuggling activities like di one our operatives stop dey facilitate and aid am.
On di cannabis, Afeni cite UNODC's 2025 World Drug Report, wey talk say cannabis remain di most widely available and widely used illicit drug and e account for about 42 per cent of drug use disorder cases worldwide. He talk say potent strains wey dem sell as Colorado don damage young lives.
He also talk say di seizures protect local farmers and producers from cheap imported food, and keep revenue wey for otherwise lost.
Di unit recover extra ₦683.66 million between September 30 and November 3 by checking declarations and correcting under-valued goods.
Wetin go happen next
Afeni talk say seized narcotics and suspects go be handed to NDLEA for investigation and possible prosecution, while oda prohibited goods go di relevant agencies.
He urge Nigerians to report suspicious smuggling activity, saying: "Smuggling dey thrive where dem tolerate, protect or ignore am."
