The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kwara Area Command, said it has intercepted 3,396 packets of 100mg tramadol valued at N50.946 million in the state.
The consignment was intercepted along the Okuta axis during an operation driven by actionable intelligence and sustained patrols.
The Acting Area Controller of the command, Deputy Comptroller Najeem Akanmu Ogundeyi, disclosed this on Thursday in Il?rin.
Ogundeyi said the seizure underscored the command’s resolve to prevent Kwara from becoming a transit corridor for illicit cross-border trade.
He said the movement of controlled pharmaceutical substances through unapproved routes posed serious risks to public health and national security.
According to him, the latest operation also showed how smugglers were ‘diversifying their activities beyond conventional goods to include controlled drugs, petroleum products, foreign food items and uncustomed vehicles’.
The Tramadol seizure formed part of eight major interceptions recorded across different operational corridors of the command, with a combined Duty Paid Value of N604.33 million.
Other seizures included 6,705 cartons of foreign spaghetti valued at N201.15 million, 270 bags of foreign parboiled rice worth N25.245 million and 6,875 litres of Premium Motor Spirit valued at N2.75 million.
Customs also intercepted a 2025 Toyota Highlander with a DPV of N214 million and a 2018 Dodge Charger SXT valued at N77.59 million, alongside used clothing and 14 bags of Basmati rice.
Ogundeyi, who assumed duty on December 17, 2025, said the enforcement of cross-border trade laws should not be interpreted as opposition to food availability or legitimate commerce.