The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone ‘A’, has arrested four suspects in connection with over seven 20-foot containers filled with various illicit items worth over N1.5b within Lagos metropolis over the past three weeks.

The Controller of the Unit, Mohammed Shuaibu, who disclosed this on Friday, listed the intercepted containers identified by the numbers MSKU 8551954, SYDU 1479614, MSKU 7751689, MSKU 798700, ZCSU 8845072, ZCSU 7055181, and PIDU 425849 as being loaded with foreign parboiled rice, new shoes, clothes, bags, used tyres, and vehicles.

Displaying the seized items at the Customs Warehouse in Ikeja, Shuaibu said within the same three-week period, the unit inflicted significant losses on non-state actors through the interception of numerous illegal goods.

Notable seizures include 4,085 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 15 illegally imported foreign-used vehicles, 82 packs of tramadol, 246 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa, 290 jerry cans of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), and 12 bales and four sacks of used clothing.

Shuaibu noted that in the ongoing battle against illicit trade, the Customs team acted on credible intelligence, shifting away from traditional stop-and-search methods to more intelligence-driven operations that reduce unnecessary delays.

He said the Customs Unit handed over the seized 246kg of cannabis sativa to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the tramadol capsules to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for further investigation and prosecution.

On revenue generation, Shuaibu said the unit recovered N20.7 million through the issuance of demand notices arising from irregular importations and the auction sales of seized petroleum products.

Shuaibu urged the general public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities related to smuggling or illicit trade.