Korede Abdullah in Lagos
The Nigeria Customs Service, Apapa Port Command, has made a significant breakthrough in its fight against smuggling, intercepting four 40ft containers filled with illicit drugs worth N1.183 billion.
This revelation was made known in a statement by the Lagos Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Usman Abubakar, a Chief Superintendent of Customs.
The seized items included 236,783 bottles of cough syrup containing codeine and Barcadin cough syrup, packed in 2,174 cartons from two terminals under the command.
The breakdown of the beizures: three containers were seized at APM Terminals, containing 34,800 bottles of CSP cough syrup (expired), 39,700 bottles of DSP cough syrup, 19 cartons of CSJ cough syrup for throat and chesty with codeine 100ml,
Other items are container which was seized at Kachicares Bonded Terminal, containing 1,584 cartons of Barcadin cough syrup for throat and chesty cough in 100ml 83 loose bottles.
Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, Customs Area Controller of the Command, attributed the success to the service’s zero-tolerance policy for smuggling. He emphasized that the command remains committed to seamless trade facilitation while maintaining its anti-smuggling stance.
Olomu warned perpetrators of unlawful trade to steer clear of Apapa Port, citing the command’s reliance on intelligence, technology, and experienced officers to uncover smuggling attempts.
He also highlighted the dangers of codeine abuse, which can lead to nausea, vomiting, sleepiness, and irrational behaviour, noting that the federal government banned codeine cough syrup importation in 2018 due to its adverse effects.
