The Lagos waters turned into a battlefield for smugglers this week as the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Western Marine Command, announced a dramatic interception of contraband worth a staggering ₦582.2 million. The bust included explosives-making materials, cannabis, rice, and petrol, shocking in both scale and variety.
Addressing journalists on Thursday, September 18, at the command headquarters, Customs Area Controller (CAC) Comptroller Patrick Ntadi revealed that operatives had seized 86 sacks of stolen ammonium sulphate and polypropylene valued at ₦4.5 million. “The chemicals were intercepted on the water after it was stolen from a boat en route to a fertilizer plant,” he explained, noting the potential dangers if such substances fell into the wrong hands.
The haul didn’t stop there. Officers also impounded 1,312 loaves of foreign cannabis sativa valued at ₦232.8 million, 1,827 bags of smuggled parboiled rice (₦204.6 million), 174 additional sacks of ammonium sulphate (₦15.6 million), and 42 kegs of PMS worth ₦1.94 million. To cripple the smuggling networks further, the command confiscated 14 boat engines (₦73.3 million), 11 fibre boats (₦46.2 million), and three wooden boats (₦3.15 million).
Comptroller Ntadi used the briefing to highlight progress since assuming office just two months ago. He pointed to upgraded infrastructure, tighter patrol systems, improved staff welfare, and enhanced security measures. “These initiatives align with the NCS mandate under the leadership of Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi. The Command is now better equipped to secure Nigeria’s maritime borders and combat illicit trade,” he said.
In a show of unity, the seized cannabis and other narcotics were formally handed over to Assistant Commander General Obadiah Buba Wakawa of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). Ntadi expressed appreciation to the CGC, security partners, and his officers for their relentless efforts.
The event closed with the decoration of 36 newly promoted officers. Ntadi charged them to uphold professionalism and integrity in their new roles, reminding them that the fight against smuggling was far from over. With seizures of this magnitude, the message from Customs is clear: Nigeria’s waterways are no longer safe for smugglers.
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