Customs Foils Smuggling Attempt, Seizes Harmful Items Worth N112.6m in Adamawa

The Adamawa/Taraba Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has intensified its anti-smuggling campaign with a string of major interceptions across multiple border corridors, recovering goods with a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N112,590,000.

The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Garba Bashir, made this announcement during a press conference held on Wednesday, 15 October 2025, at the Customs House in Yola, where he presented details of the Command’s latest operations aimed at curbing trans-border crimes and protecting public health.

Comptroller Bashir stated that the Command recorded twenty-nine seizures within six weeks of intensive patrol and intelligence-driven operations along smuggling flashpoints, including the Mubi–Sahuda axis, the Girei–Wuro Bokki route, the Jamtari–Farang/Belel area, Wuro Alhaji, the Damare bank, the Gurin–Fufore axis, and the Yerima road in Gembu.

According to him, the seizures included 20,600 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) packed in 824 jerrycans of 25-litre capacity each, 91 cartons of expired Tramadol capsules, 54 cartons of foreign soaps, and 64 pieces of complete raw donkey skins intended for illegal exportation.

Speaking on the dangers posed by expired medical products, Comptroller Bature disclosed that 91 cartons of Tramadol capsules were intercepted on August 30, 2025, in Mubi through coordinated enforcement and credible intelligence.

He warned that the spread of substandard and expired drugs could result in mass health crises, high mortality rates, and increased youth addiction.

“If these expired Tramadol capsules had found their way into circulation, they could have caused widespread harm, human capital deterioration, and unfair market competition. The Command will hand them over to NAFDAC immediately after this briefing, in line with Section 55 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023,” the Controller said.

He added that the Command would work closely with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to ensure the safe destruction of the seized drugs in a joint operation at a later date.

Regarding the interception of 64 raw donkey skins, Comptroller Bashir explained that the items were seized on September 30, 2025, at the Damare River Bank, following intelligence reports. The smugglers, he said, had concealed the skins in three sacks, awaiting nightfall to ferry them across the waterways into Cameroon.

He noted that the export of donkey skin contravenes Schedule 6 (Export Prohibition List) of the Common External Tariff (CET) and Section 150 of the NCS Act 2023.

“The seizure represents the slaughter of 64 donkeys. If this illicit trade continues unchecked, the species risks extinction,” he said, adding that such activities are primarily driven by international demand, particularly from Asia.

Similarly, 54 cartons of foreign soap were seized along the Damare River Bank on October 3, 2025, at approximately 10:00 p.m. The importation, according to the CAC, contravenes Schedule 3 of the CET (2022–2026) and Section 233 of the NCS Act 2023.

Bashir disclosed that the seized PMS would be auctioned to the public immediately after the press conference in accordance with the Service’s Standard Operating Procedure, with proceeds remitted into the Federation Account.

Emphasising the Command’s sustained engagement with border communities, the CAC said continuous dialogue with residents has helped disrupt smuggling networks and strengthen intelligence-sharing mechanisms.

He noted that cooperation with sister security agencies and other Customs units had greatly contributed to the Command’s operational success.

Comptroller Bashir commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, for his visionary leadership and consistent support in empowering field operations.

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