David Adekunle,Lagos
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Western Marine Command, has announced the seizure of contraband goods valued at ₦582.2 million, marking significant progress in strengthening its operational capacity.
Command Area Controller, Comptroller Patrick Ntadi, announced this during a press briefing in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, where he outlined the Command’s recent anti-smuggling breakthroughs, security reforms, and infrastructure upgrades aimed at safeguarding the country’s maritime borders.
Ntadi revealed that between April and September 2025, the Command made several major interceptions, including 1,827 bags of foreign parboiled rice worth ₦204.6m (Duty Paid Value), alongside the recovery of stolen items such as 174 sacks of Ammonium Sulphate and 86 sacks of Polypropylene (PP).
Other seizures comprised 1,312 loaves of imported cannabis variants—Arizona, Scottish, and Ghana Loud—valued at over ₦232.8m, 42 kegs of smuggled petrol (already auctioned), 14 outboard engines, and multiple locally made boats.
In total, the seizures carried a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦582.2m.
The Comptroller noted that the Command had undergone significant transformation in recent months, with strategic measures to improve preparedness and efficiency.
Ntadi added that the Command had expanded its jetty to accommodate more patrol boats, a move designed to improve response times to infractions on waterways and boost maritime surveillance.
Abandoned outstations at Ere and Bar Beach were rehabilitated and restored to full operational capacity, while renovation of the Igbokoda station is scheduled to begin on 22 September 2025.
He added that four patrol boats were repaired and fitted with new equipment, while two refurbished patrol vehicles were deployed to support land-based operations.
The Controller attributed the Command’s successes to the leadership of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, as well as the dedication of officers and men of the Command.
Acknowledging challenges ahead, he expressed optimism that with improved infrastructure, stakeholder collaboration, and enhanced morale, the Western Marine Command was now better positioned to fulfil its mandate.
After conducting journalists and stakeholders around the seized items, Comptroller Ntadi formally handed over the cannabis haul to officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation.
Responding, Assistant Commander-General of Narcotics, Apapa Strategic Command, ACGN Obadiah Wakawa, commended the Customs Service for the interception and assured them of continued cooperation.
He also warned that the potency of genetically modified drugs posed “a grave threat to public health and national security.”