Customs Seize Cannabis Worth ₦48.5m and Contraband Valued at ₦220m in Kaduna
The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone B, has intercepted cannabis and assorted contraband items worth over ₦268 million in Kaduna State, following intensified anti-smuggling operations across the region.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the unit, Chief Superintendent of Customs Saidu Nuruddeen, the interception of the cannabis took place on August 21, 2025, when operatives, acting on credible intelligence, stopped a vehicle at the Zaria flyover along the Kaduna–Zaria Expressway around 3:30 a.m.
A thorough search of the vehicle led to the discovery of nine sacks containing 185 compressed blocks of Cannabis sativa weighing 89.6 kilograms, with a duty-paid value of ₦48,562,500.
A male suspect was arrested and has since been handed over alongside the exhibits to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and prosecution.
In a separate operation, Customs operatives also seized three vehicles conveying smuggled goods valued at ₦220,457,336.48.
The items included 456 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice, 8,100 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 178 bales of second-hand clothing, 225 cartons of spaghetti, 107 used tyres, and 37 electric shockers.
The Comptroller of FOU Zone B, Aliyu Alkali, commended the officers for their vigilance and credited the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for providing effective leadership that has strengthened enforcement activities. He stressed that the seizures underscored the Service’s determination to curb smuggling, protect national revenue, and safeguard public health and security.
The Kaduna operation forms part of ongoing intelligence-led patrols aimed at frustrating illicit trade and ensuring closer collaboration with sister security agencies to secure the nation’s borders and internal routes.
