Bayo Akomolafe 
Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Command has intercepted a 40foot container loaded with twenty cartons of tapentadol drugs, a new variant of tramadol worth N1.56 billion. The banned drug was shipped from India to Classic Bonded Terminal at Ago Palace Way, Festac Lagos. The Customs Area Comptroller of Apapa Command, Comptroller Yusuf Malanta said that the contraband arrived at Lagos Port on July 3rd 2022, noting that the customs had been monitoring its movement ever since. He stressed that the container was declared as chocolates, but on examination, officers discovered cartons of Ok POP sweets. The drugs were carefully hidden at the back of the container.
Yusuf commended officers of the terminal, noting that the synergy between the customs and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is yielding positive results. He noted that the contraband came in 225mg and 120mg. The comptroller said: “The importer cleverly concealed the drugs at the back of the container, just to undermine our officers. We found out that he had 20 cartons of the drugs. Each of the 225mg had 838,500 tablets. For the 120mg, there are 90,10,000 tablets.