Customs Seize N48.5M Cannabis, N220m Contraband in Kaduna

The Nigeria Customs Service says it has seized cannabis worth over N48 million and other contraband valued at more than N220 million during recent operations in Kaduna State.

Spokesman for the Federal Operations Unit, Zone B, Saidu Nuruddeen, disclosed this on behalf of the Comptroller, explaining that the operations were carried out on August 21, 2025. According to him, Customs operatives, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted a vehicle along the Zaria Flyover on the Kaduna-Zaria Expressway, where the cannabis was discovered.

The operation led to the arrest of a male suspect. Inside the vehicle, officers found nine sacks containing 185 compressed blocks of Cannabis Sativa, weighing 89.6kg, with a duty paid value put at N48,562,500.

Nuruddeen said the suspect, along with the seized drugs, had been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for investigation and prosecution. “This is in line with the spirit of inter-agency collaboration,” he stated.

He further revealed that in another operation, Customs officers stopped three vehicles transporting smuggled items. The contraband included 50kg of foreign parboiled rice, 8,100 liters of petrol, 178 bales of second-hand clothes, 225 cartons of spaghetti, 107 used tyres, and 37 pieces of electric shockers.

The Service calculated the duty paid value of these items at N220,457,336.48.