The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has secured an interim forfeiture order over 17 shipping containers loaded with illicit opioids valued at more than ₦33.6 billion, in what officials described as a major blow to drug trafficking networks operating through Nigerian ports.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt granted the order following an ex parte application filed by the agency in suit number FHC/PH/MISC/25/2026.
Babafemi said the containers were intercepted at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Onne, Rivers State, between April and September 2025. They were found to contain millions of pills of Tramadol, Tafrodol, Tapentadol, Carisoprodol, and more than 2.4 million bottles of Codeine Syrup.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Adamu Mohammed ordered the interim forfeiture of the consignments.
The judge held that: “An order is hereby made forfeiting in the interim to the Federal Government of Nigeria seventeen shipping containers containing a total of three hundred and sixty-five thousand, six hundred and seventy-five kilograms of various types of psychotropic substances illegally imported into Nigeria through the Onne Sea Port, Onne, Eleme, Rivers State by unknown persons.”
He further ordered that “custody and possession of the said containers and their respective contents are hereby vested in the Applicant pending the final determination of this suit.”
Reacting to the ruling, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), described the decision as a decisive blow against drug cartels.
“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 said.
He added that the seizure of assets worth over ₦33.6 billion sends a strong message that Nigeria will not allow proceeds of illicit drugs to fuel terrorism and other criminal activities.
Marwa commended the judiciary for its support in strengthening anti-narcotics operations, stressing that timely court intervention remains critical in the fight against drug trafficking.
He also praised officers of the Onne Port Command for their vigilance, as well as sister security agencies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, for their collaboration during the operation.
The NDLEA chairman further acknowledged international partners for providing intelligence support, reaffirming the agency’s commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks across the country.
