(The forfeited items. Photo Credit: Nigeria News)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has secured an interim forfeiture order over 17 shipping containers loaded with illicit opioids valued at more than N33.6 billion, in what officials described as a major blow to drug trafficking networks operating through Nigerian ports.
This was revealed in a statement issued on Babafemi on Tuesday and signed by NDLEA spokesperson Femi.
According to the statement, the agency filed an ex parte application in suit number FHC/PH/MISC/25/2026, and the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt issued the order.
According to Babafemi, the containers were discovered to contain approximately 2.4 million bottles of codeine syrup and millions of pills of Tramadol, Tafrodol, Tapentadol, and Carisoprodol when they were intercepted at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Onne, Rivers State, between April and September 2025.
Judge Adamu Mohammed ruled on the application and mandated the consignments’ temporary confiscation.
“An order is hereby made forfeiting in the interim to the Federal Government of Nigeria seventeen shipping containers containing a total of three hundred and sixty-five thousand, six hundred and seventy-five kilograms of various types of psychotropic substances illegally imported into Nigeria through the Onne Sea Port, Onne, Eleme, Rivers State by unknown persons,” the judge ruled.
He further ordered that, “Custody and possession of the said containers and their respective contents are hereby vested in the Applicant pending the final determination of this suit.”
NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) responded to the decision by characterizing it as a major blow to drug gangs.
Marwa stated, “This is not just a seizure; it is a complete dispossession of the resources the drug cartels intended to use in destroying our youths’ lives and funding further criminality.”
He added, “By stripping the criminal syndicates of assets worth over N33.6 billion, we have struck at the heart of their operations. This sends a clear message that the Nigerian state will not allow the proceeds of death to circulate to fund terrorism and other forms of criminality.”
Marwa commended the judiciary for supporting the agency’s operations, noting that timely court intervention remains critical in the fight against drug trafficking.
Additionally, he commended the Onne Port Command officers for their diligence, as well as sister security agencies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, for their cooperation during the operation.
The head of NDLEA also acknowledged international partners for intelligence support, adding that the agency remains committed to dismantling drug networks across the country.
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