The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has gotten a temporary forfeiture order for 17 containers full of illegal opioids worth more than N33.6 billion.
The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt gave the agency the order after they filed an ex parte motion.
Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, said in a statement on Tuesday that the containers were stopped at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Onne, Rivers State, on several occasions between April and September 2025.
The agency says that the seized shipments contain 19.6 million pills of Tramadol, Tafrodol, Tapentadol, and Carisoprodol, as well as 2,496,400 bottles of codeine syrup. The total street value of these items is thought to be N33,691,200,000.
Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed decided on the application and ordered the containers, which hold 365,657kg of psychotropic substances, to be temporarily given to the Federal Government.
The court also gave the NDLEA custody of the items until the case was fully resolved.
In response to the news, NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa said that the seizure was a major blow to drug trafficking networks.
He said that the action takes away resources that criminal groups use to support drug abuse and other crimes, and that it sends a strong message that the government is serious about fighting the illegal drug trade.
Marwa also praised the courts for issuing the order, saying that the courts and the agency must continue to work together to fight drug-related crimes.
He also thanked the NDLEA staff at the Onne Port Command, as well as other security agencies and international partners, for their work on the operation.
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