How Apapa Customs Tracked Codeine from India to Nigeria, Foils N3.2Bn Illicit Cargo
Compt Babatunde Olomu
By DAPO OLAWUNI
On May 22nd, 2025, the Apapa Customs Command announced a significant seizure of prohibited items, including six containers laden with codeine, unregistered pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, used clothing, and two stolen vehicles, with a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of over N3.24 billion.
Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, the Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Command, revealed the detailed tracking of the codeine containers and the ongoing efforts to combat illicit imports.
Comptroller Olomu detailed the elaborate route taken by the codeine containers, which originated from Mumbai, India, on February 8, 2025. Instead of heading directly to Nigeria, they diverted to Abidjan, arriving on March 19, 2025. From Abidjan, the containers traveled to Port Tangiers, Morocco, on March 20, arriving on April 12, 2025, before finally departing for Apapa seven days later.
“We have their records and we are monitoring them, they would not go free,” Olomu asserted.
In connection with these seizures, three suspects have been apprehended and are currently undergoing interrogation, with investigations progressing towards prosecution.
Olomu emphasized that these imports violate both the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 and the World Customs Organization’s Operation Stop IV, a global initiative against trafficking counterfeit and unauthorized medical supplies.
The seized items were categorized for clarity:
Category One (Codeine Seizures): Container No. SUDU 8685733 (40FT) contained 1,698 cartons of RTPL CSC Cough syrup with codeine, ingeniously concealed within packages of water closets.
Container No. MRSU 4846204 (40FT) held 1,690 cartons of codeine syrup, similarly hidden in toilet seats.
These two seizures alone have an estimated street value of N2.71 billion. The interception was a result of strong international collaboration and local networking with officers from the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Category Two (Unregistered Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics):
Container No. ONEU 1153150 (40 FT) contained 1,584 packages of Globatin anti-marks and 30g Clobetasol cream, falsely declared as truck tires.
Container No. MRSU 3258823 (40 FT) was found to contain various pharmaceutical products without NAFDAC registration numbers, including Rabeprazole for injection, 25mg Zahifranil tablets, 1000mg vancomycine hydrochloride, and ciprophetadine with vitamin B complex, all falsely declared as kitchenware and tables.
Category Three (Stolen Vehicles and Prohibited Used Clothing): Container No. MRKU 0904594 (40 FT) contained two stolen vehicles from Canada: a 2024 Lexus RX 450 (chassis number JTJCJNGA6R2017707) and a 2023 Lexus RX 350 (chassis number 2T2BAMCAPCO32741), both falsely declared as food items.
Container No. SEKU 4716830 (40 FT) held 390 bales of used clothing, violating Nigeria’s import prohibition law.
Comptroller Olomu reiterated the Command’s commitment to protecting Nigerians from harmful imports, stating,
“As officers at the nation’s largest, busiest and premier port, we are determined to avoid making Nigerians vulnerable to the selfish interests of merchant of death whose stock in trade is to bring in harmful substances like the ones I shall be showing you today.”
He credited the success of the Command to the “inspiring guidance” of the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi.
During the briefing, Comptroller Olomu also provided an update on revenue collection, announcing that the Command had generated N1.094 trillion as of May 21, 2025, surpassing its N1 trillion target before the end of the fifth month.
He highlighted previous record-breaking daily collections, including N18.2 billion in October 2024, N18.9 billion on March 14, 2025, and N18.919 billion on May 20, 2025.
Assistant Commandant of Narcotics, Buba Wakawa, representing the NDLEA, acknowledged the role of international collaborations in the seizures.
He noted that the NDLEA had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India to curb the production of codeine for Nigerian importers.
Wakawa explained that illicit importers are now rerouting through neighboring countries like Chad, which do not have similar MoUs.
However, he expressed confidence that the ongoing synergy with Customs is effectively closing these gaps, stating, “But I think with the synergy that is going on now we are closing that gap and we checkmate them.”
