The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, has intercepted smuggled goods valued at N6.19 billion, including 3.4 tonnes of cannabis and 23,220 machetes, in four weeks.

The Acting Comptroller of the unit, Oladapo Afeni, disclosed this on Tuesday in Lagos during a news conference, according to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Afeni said the unit recorded 195 seizures of prohibited and restricted goods within the period, attributing the interceptions to improved intelligence gathering, surveillance and collaboration with other security and regulatory agencies.

The enforcement partners included the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigerian Army, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).

Customs urges Nigerians to report suspicious smuggling activities

Afeni warned that smuggling could thrive when individuals and institutions tolerate, protect or ignore the activities, stressing that citizens also have a responsibility to support efforts to combat the practice.

He urged Nigerians to report suspicious activities and support lawful trade, noting that public cooperation was important in tackling smuggling networks and protecting the country’s economic interests.

• “Smuggling thrives where it is tolerated, protected or ignored. Every citizen has a role to play by reporting suspicious activities and supporting lawful trade,” he said.

The seizures included 5,986 parcels of cannabis sativa and indica weighing 3,407.83 kilogrammes, 400 grammes of cocaine, 100 grammes of methamphetamine and 57 cartons, 37 packs and six pieces of codeine syrup.

• Other intercepted items included 23,220 new machetes, 1,250 rounds of 12-calibre cartridges, 4,334 bags of imported rice, 173 cartons of frozen poultry products, 6,949 cartons of spaghetti, 1,236 used tyres, 21 foreign-used vehicles and 8,025 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
• The unit also recovered eight live pangolins, 459 bales and 39 jumbo sacks of second-hand clothing, 250 cartons of unregistered Lotus sardines, 101 bags of imported sugar, 20 cartons of couscous, 2,760 knocked-down office chairs and other prohibited goods.

Afeni said the unit also generated N683.66 million through compliance checks, scrutiny of import declarations, detection of under-valuations and demand notices between September 30 and November 3, 2026.

Nigeria Customs records major contraband seizures in recent months

The latest interceptions add to a series of major seizures recorded by the Nigeria Customs Service as it intensifies efforts to tackle smuggling and illicit trade across the country’s borders.

• In May 2026, the NCS Ogun I Area Command, Idiroko, seized contraband valued at N6.77 billion in a renewed crackdown on smuggling activities along the nation’s borders.
• Earlier in February 2026, the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, intercepted synthetic cannabis and other contraband worth N3.3 billion in Lagos.

The seizures followed an even larger operation in May 2025, when the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, announced that the service had intercepted contraband valued at over N921 billion within four months.

Previous Customs drug seizures highlight scale of illicit trade

Beyond general contraband, drug trafficking has remained a recurring focus of Customs enforcement operations, with several major interceptions recorded at Nigeria’s borders and ports.

In May 2026, the service recovered cocaine valued at N2.35 billion from a 71-year-old suspect along a major smuggling route.

Similarly, in March 2026, the Apapa Command intercepted 3,398 cartons of codeine syrup valued at N3.39 billion at Apapa Port in Lagos.

The command also intercepted 13 containers carrying expired drugs, food items and restricted security equipment valued at N6.38 billion during the same month.

The latest operation further highlights the range of illicit goods moving through Nigeria’s trade routes, particularly narcotics and restricted products.