Customs seizes N13bn drugs, military hardware at Lagos airport

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it has intercepted some military hardware and uniforms at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

The items were seized by customs officers attached to the airport cargo command.

Sambo Dangaladima, customs area controller, paraded the seized military hardware at the command in Ikeja on Tuesday.

Dangaladima said the hardware was imported from South Africa by a suspect identified as Olaolu Marquis, who had been arrested.

The customs area controller disclosed that the suspect failed to produce the end-user certificate, which is the lawful prerequisite for such importation.

The seized hardware are 309 pieces of military helmets, 106 pieces of military armless jackets, 352 pieces of ballistic body armoured pad, 119 pieces of police badges, five pieces of bulletproof jackets, 33 pieces of body side ballistic pad, and 105 pieces of ballistic chest plates.

In another development, the command intercepted 162 cartons of tramadol hydrochloride of 225 and 250 milligrams.

Giving details of the seizure, Dangaladima said the hard drugs originated from India and Pakistan and were routed through Addis-Ababa to Lagos.

The customs area controller said the seized drugs with a duty-paid value of N13,827,775,560 have been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

“We are very much mindful of the fact that 2023 is an election year in Nigeria; the inflow traffic of these hard drugs that induce our youths to do extraordinary things (when taken) are bound to increase,” he said.

“But I can assure the unscrupulous importers that MMAC is the most dangerous route for their illicit trade because we are always here to catch them and ensure that they face the wrath of the law.

“In total obedience to the directives of our able CGC – Rtd Col Hameed Ibrahim Ali, we are poised to continue intercepting and seizing the illicit products – especially hard drugs as they come.”