Customs Hands Over N1bn Seized Cocaine to NDLEA
*Moves to simplify cargo clearance at Lekki port, unveils green channel
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over massive cocaine seizure valued at N1bn to the to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The drugs were seized by the operatives of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A at Badagry-Seme axis on February 10.
The items were concealed in a Toyota Highlander in 22 packages of weighing approximately 25 kilograms.
The operatives had also arrested the suspect, . Adeniran Aliyu, with investigations showing that the drugs came from Ghana.
The Comptroller General of the Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi who was represented on the occasion by the Deputy Comptroller General of Enforcement, Timi Bomodi, said the seizure was of critical importance.
According to the CGC,the seizure was carried out under the powers granted by Section 55(1)(c) of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.
According to him, “This seizure aligns squarely with our mandate to protect the health and lives of Nigerians,” Adeniyi stated. “Our commitment is not merely to revenue collection or trade facilitation; it is a solemn pledge to protect society.
“By acting decisively on intelligence, by collaborating with sister agencies like the NDLEA, and by upholding the rule of law, the Nigeria Customs Service remains steadfast in our vigilance, adaptive in the face of evolving threats, and unyielding in our dedication to a safer, healthier Nigeria”.
The Commander, Lagos Strategic Command of NDLEA, Abubakar Liman Wali commended the Customs management for the vigilance and effective action.
Wali said during the ceremony,“This handover powerfully reflects the effectiveness of the Memorandum of Understanding between our agencies and the renewed, vigorous push to dismantle cross-border drug trafficking networks threatening our nation”
Meanwhile, the Customs Service has unveiled a Green Channel initiative at the Lekki Deep Sea Port in a move to simplify cargo clearance and check unnecessary delays.
This was launched on Wednesday by the Comptroller General of the Service, Adeniyi, as part of the efforts to improve on trade facilitation by using technology.
Adeniyi explained that he initiative which has the approval of the Customs was introduced by the Lekki Deep Sea Port to address issues in container stacking and examination at major ports.
He said, “This particular intervention helps to move containers right from the vessel into a dedicated place where customers can have access. And between the time the container moves from the vessel to this particular place, it is tracked..
“What we have done today is a product of the kind of trust that we have invested in our stakeholders and the confidence that we also have in them, that they would do this in the spirit of compliance and trade facilitation”.
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