Customs seizes Tramadol, codeine, others worth over N2billion naira

Tayo Oladipupo |

Forty nine cartons of tramadol, two thousand, seven hundred and forty eight cartons of codeine, one thousand, six hundred and ten kilogrammes of Indian hemp were among the several seizures worth over two billion , fifty five million naira carried out by the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in two weeks.

The Controller of the Unit, Comptroller Mohammed Garba Uba while conducting members of the press through the warehouse where the items were kept regretted that most of the seizures made at the unit came from Ogun state.

He said the seizures were in consonance with the regulations of the federal government against contraband as well as duty evasion by importers of goods into Nigeria.

Uba maintained that the truck conveying the codeine was intercepted at Afromedia Estate by Egbeda junction beside Alabama International.

While speaking on the endangered species, the controller said pangolin was evacuated from a shop located in Tejuosho market in Victoria Island by the warehouse operations team based on information.

He added that efforts are ongoing to track down the fled occupants of the shops, promising that they would be arrested and prosecuted.

Other items include seventeen pieces of different brands of vehicles with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of three hundred and forty eight million, two hundred and ninety one thousand, two hundred and fifty one naira only.

One thousand, three hundred and eighty bags of foreign parboiled rice of 50 kg each, one thousand, on hundred and twenty six pieces of used bags and shoes; one hundred and forty kegs of refined vegetable oil.

One thousand, thirty one kilogrammes of pangolin scales, 29, 35 kilogrammes of elephant tusk.

Among the detained vehicles are seven Toyota Land Cruiser Jeeps (2015-2018), 4 Toyota Hiace Bus (2017), 2 Toyota Coaster Bus (2017) and 4 Toyota Camry (2014).

He explained that four of the vehicles were accosted along Ijebu-Ode Expressway while one of those evacuated from Ikeja had no evidence of duty payment.

He stated further that eight suspects were arrested in connection with the twenty-five seizures.