The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded a monumental victory in its sustained offensive against narcotic syndicates, following an interim forfeiture order granted by the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt. The order concerns 17 shipping containers laden with illicit opioids, with a total street value estimated at an eye-watering N33.6 billion.
The disclosure was made in a formal statement issued on Tuesday by the Director of Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA Headquarters, Mr Femi Babafemi.
The forfeiture follows a series of high-stakes interceptions conducted at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Onne, Rivers State. The 17 containers were seized across several operations spanning from April to September 2025.
According to the agency’s records, the staggering haul comprises: 19,600,000 pills of psychotropic substances, including Tramadol, Tafrodol, Tapentadol, and Carisoprodol, 2,496,400 bottles of Codeine Syrup, and A combined weight of 365,657 kilograms.
The interim forfeiture order was delivered by Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed in response to an ex parte motion filed by the NDLEA on 10th February 2026. In his ruling, Justice Mohammed ordered that the containers and their respective contents illegally imported into the country by “unknown persons” be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The court further vested the custody and possession of the seized items in the NDLEA pending the final determination of the legal proceedings.
Reacting to the court’s decision, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), lauded the ruling as a strategic strike against the financial foundations of organised crime.
“This is not just a seizure; it is a total dispossession of the resources the drug cartels intended to use in destroying the lives of our youths and funding further criminality,” Marwa asserted. “By stripping these syndicates of assets worth over N33.6 billion, we have struck at the heart of their operations. The Nigerian state will not allow the proceeds of death to circulate to fund terrorism and other forms of criminality.”
General Marwa extended his gratitude to the Nigerian Judiciary for its timely intervention, describing the “temple of justice” as a critical partner in the war against substance abuse. He specifically commended the officers of the Onne Port Command for their professional integrity and “eagle-eyed” scrutiny.
The NDLEA boss also acknowledged the vital cooperation of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and international partners, whose intelligence-sharing networks remain a cornerstone of the agency’s recent successes. He reaffirmed the agency’s resolve to dismantle drug networks and ensure that Nigeria’s maritime gateways remain hostile environments for smugglers.
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