The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over a large consignment of cannabis, valued at ₦172.9 million, to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), following a successful interception by its Ogun I Area Command.
During a press briefing on Thursday at the Command’s headquarters in Idiroko, the Area Controller, Comptroller Godwin Otunla, said the seizure was made after officers, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted a Mercedes Benz truck suspected of transporting prohibited items.
“Upon thorough examination, the truck was found to contain 2,693 parcels of cannabis sativa, cleverly concealed in fabricated compartments beneath the vehicle’s floor what we refer to as a false bottom,” Otunla explained.
The seized cannabis weighed a total of 1,450 kilogrammes and was assigned a duty-paid value of ₦172,920,000. One suspect was arrested and was handed over along with the consignment to the NDLEA.
Receiving the items, NDLEA Commander for the Idiroko Special Command, Williams Ekundayo, commended the Customs officers for the operation.
“This seizure is not just about the quantity of drugs removed from circulation, but about the lives potentially saved from the devastating impact of drug abuse. We appreciate the dedication of the Customs Service in this joint effort,” Ekundayo said.
Otunla used the opportunity to acknowledge the leadership of Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi, whose reforms he credited with strengthening the service’s operational capacity. He congratulated Adeniyi on his election as Chairperson of the World Customs
Organisation (WCO) Council, calling it a “prestigious global recognition”.
In a related development, the Command unveiled 13 new operational vehicles allocated by the Customs headquarters. Otunla said the vehicles would enhance patrol and enforcement activities across the volatile border corridor.
He reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to inter-agency collaboration and to combating smuggling and drug trafficking through improved logistics and intelligence-driven operations.
The effort, he said, reflects a broader national strategy to secure Nigeria’s borders.
Otunla further announced the delivery of 13 new patrol vehicles to the Ogun I Command, aimed at boosting enforcement capacity across the border corridor.
“We remain committed to securing Nigeria’s borders and stopping the flow of illicit goods,” he added.
Drug trafficking continues to pose a major threat in Nigeria’s border regions, but agencies say stronger collaboration and improved logistics are yielding results.
