The Nigeria Customs Service has confiscated smuggled products valued at over ₦921 billion, comprising unregistered sex-enhancement pills, military-grade drones, used clothing, and expired food items.
The seizure was carried out by the Federal Operations Unit Zone A in Lagos. Customs officials say the seized products were part of a larger operation targeting illegal imports that pose health, safety, and national security risks.
Among the items confiscated were some cartons of sex drugs that had not been certified by Nigerian health officials. The drugs were marked by customs as dangerous and not safe for human consumption, warning the public against purchasing such drugs from unregulated sources.
Also confiscated were dozens of unmanned aerial drones suspected to possess surveillance and long-distance flight capabilities. The authorities deem them to have been smuggled in for purposes ranging from criminal use to illegal surveillance.
Flashback to December 2023 when the same team seized a massive consignment of firearms concealed in second-hand vehicles at the port. The exercise led to arrests and there were concerns about Nigeria’s open borders and threats from unregulated imports.
In the recent operation, Customs also confiscated used clothes containers, foreign rice, expired tomato paste, and illegal drugs. Some of the products were concealed under layers of legal products in an attempt to deceive inspection officers.
Comptroller General Bashir Adeniyi hailed his officers for carrying out the successful operation, stating further that it attested to the service’s intensified resolve to safeguard Nigerians from perilous imports. In his words, the smugglers are simply becoming more ingenious, but the agency remains resolved to keep up.
The agencies will surrender all the confiscated goods to corresponding regulatory authorities, while efforts at tracing the origin and the consignees go on.
This latest bust is a demonstration of the ongoing battle between smugglers and customs enforcement. Citizens are constantly reminded by the authorities to refrain from purchasing suspiciously imported goods and to inform security organs of illegal activities.
