The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted nine containers carrying offensive items, including arms, ammunition, illicit drugs, and second-hand clothes, with a total value of N13.9 billion. This was disclosed by the Comptroller-General of the NCS, Adewale Adeniyi, on Monday during a press briefing at Onne Port in Rivers State.

Adeniyi highlighted that one of the containers, which originated from Turkey, had become a subject of significant interest due to numerous risk factors associated with its importation. “We have closely monitored its journey across continents and benefited immensely from credible intelligence through our collaboration with local, national, and international intelligence communities,” he stated.

 

Detailing the contents of the container, Adeniyi revealed, “On Friday, June 21, 2024, the suspicious container underwent a thorough physical examination. Inside, we found 844 units of assorted rifles and 12,500 rounds of live ammunition concealed among various items such as doors, furniture fittings, and leather bags.” The duty-paid value of this container alone was N4.2 billion.

Three suspects have been arrested in connection with the seizures after the NCS secured a detention warrant from a competent court of justice.

Regarding the other containers, Adeniyi explained, “On Saturday, our officers intercepted eight 40-foot containers transiting from a bonded terminal. Upon examination, six of these containers were found to contain 1.5 million bottles of codeine cough syrup in 100ml sizes and 3.5 million tablets of tramadol.” The duty-paid value of these containers was N9.6 billion, bringing the total duty-paid value of the nine containers to N13.9 billion.

In a related development, the Joint Border Patrol Team Sector 2 of the NCS intercepted 1,410 liters of premium motor spirit worth N30.4 million within one week. This was disclosed by the team’s Coordinator, Mohammad Shuaibu, during a press briefing at the Customs Training College in Ikeja, Lagos State, on Friday, June 28, 2024.

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