The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Area Command, has intensified its anti-smuggling operations, intercepting unsafe pharmaceutical products, Cannabis Sativa, and other prohibited goods worth over ₦501 million in the last three months.
The Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller of Customs, Abdullahi Kaila, disclosed this during a media briefing held on Monday, 25 May 2026, at the Command headquarters.
He said the seizures were achieved through coordinated intelligence-driven operations, resulting in the interception of 1,000 parcels of Cannabis Sativa alongside several unregistered pharmaceutical products, including codeine-based cough syrups and sexual enhancement drugs smuggled into the country without approval from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
“The Command has sustained aggressive intelligence-led enforcement operations aimed at combating economic sabotage, protecting local industries, and safeguarding public health as well as national security,” Kaila stated.
The CAC further disclosed that the Command also seized 2,000 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 340 kegs of vegetable oil, 103 kegs of Premium Motor Spirit, 993 cartons of spaghetti, and 250 bales of used clothing.
“These seizures underscore our zero-tolerance stance against smuggling and reaffirm our determination to protect the nation’s economy while enforcing compliance with extant import and export regulations,” he said.
Kaila warned smugglers and their collaborators to stay away from the border corridor, stressing that the Command had strengthened surveillance across both land and maritime routes to curb trans-border crimes. Compliance remains the safest and most cost-effective pathway for legitimate business operations,” he added.
The illicit drugs and pharmaceutical products were subsequently handed over to officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and NAFDAC for further investigation and regulatory action.
Representatives of both agencies commended the NCS for sustaining inter-agency collaboration in the fight against drug trafficking and the circulation of unsafe pharmaceutical products, noting that the seizures would help protect public health and strengthen national security.
Nigerian customs services
