Reps Seek Stronger Customs Alliance as 230 Drug Containers Seized

The House of Representatives ad hoc committee on drugs and illicit trafficking has called for deeper collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service to strengthen the fight against the illicit drug trade and related criminal networks.

Chairman of the committee, Mr Timehin Adelegbe, made the call during a courtesy visit to the NCS headquarters in Abuja, stressing that tackling drug trafficking requires coordinated legislative reforms and sustained inter-agency cooperation.

Adelegbe clarified that the engagement was designed to foster partnership rather than conduct an investigation, noting that drug abuse and trafficking have become nationwide threats affecting families and communities across the country.

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He commended the Customs Service for recent high-profile seizures and urged stronger operational alignment with agencies such as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control to improve intelligence sharing and enforcement outcomes.

The lawmaker disclosed that the committee would review existing tobacco control laws, explaining that emerging products such as vape devices were not anticipated under the current Tobacco Act.

He added that compliance levels in bonded warehouses, border staffing gaps and enforcement capacity would also form part of a broader legislative review aimed at closing regulatory loopholes.

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Responding, Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Mr. Timi Bomodi, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to combating illicit trade.

Bomodi revealed that the NCS seized more than 230 containers of illegally imported pharmaceuticals in the past year, describing the operation as a significant disruption to criminal supply chains.

He noted that the service is deploying advanced scanning technologies and strengthening inspection protocols to improve detection rates, stressing that enforcement strategies are continuously evolving in response to increasingly sophisticated trafficking networks.

Bomodi assured lawmakers of the NCS’s readiness to collaborate closely with the committee, pledging full institutional support to reinforce legislative and operational efforts aimed at curbing illicit drug inflows into the country.