The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Port and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) Command, has seized cocaine shipment valued at ₦29.4 billion.
Command Area Controller, CAC PTML, Comptroller Joe Anani made stated this during a press conference in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria on Tuesday.
Anani said that “the interception followed a report from the PTML terminal operator, who discovered suspicious packages in one of the 39 empty containers meant for export loading.”
According to him, the 1×20 ft container with number GCNU1332851, brought in from Freetown, Sierra Leone, was flagged during a routine disinfection exercise on October 7, 2025.
He said; “The terminal operator alerted the Command immediately, and a joint examination was conducted alongside officers of the NDLEA, Department of State Services (DSS), Police Anti-Bomb Squad, and other agencies.
“It is important to note that this container did not arrive Nigeria as an import consignment. It was part of a batch of empty containers brought in by the terminal operator for export purposes.”
The PTML CAC stated that 50 packages containing 20 parcels each were uncovered during the inspection. Rapid tests confirmed the contents as cocaine, weighing a total of 1,000 kilograms (one tonne), with a duty paid value (DPV) of ₦29,403,738,000.
The Customs boss described the incident as one of the most “mysterious cocaine interceptions” in the Service’s history, highlighting that no arrest had been made since the container had no consignee linked to it.
Anani praised the PTML terminal operator for promptly reporting the anomaly and commended the collaboration between security agencies in the operation.
The Customs Area Controller said “the seizure underscores the high level of cooperation and vigilance among their officers, terminal operators, and sister security agencies.”
He reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s ports and ensuring that PTML remains a “no-go area” for prohibited imports and exports.
Comptroller Anani handed over the seizure to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi for further investigation and necessary action.
The seizure, jointly handled by Customs and NDLEA officials, further strengthens the synergy between port stakeholders in combating illicit trade and safeguarding Nigeria’s maritime borders.
Lateefah Ibrahim