ABUJA, Nigeria — The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has secured an interim court order forfeiting 17 shipping containers of opioids valued at more than N33.6 billion intercepted at the Onne Port in Rivers State, the agency announced on Tuesday, April 21, 2026.
Okay News reports that the ruling was delivered by Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, following an ex parte motion filed by the NDLEA on February 10, 2026, in suit number FHC/PH/MISC/25/2026.
“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 kilogrammes of various types of psychotropic substances illegally imported into Nigeria through the Onne Sea Port,” the judge ruled.
The court also directed that the NDLEA retain custody of the containers pending the final determination of the case.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) , Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, described the forfeiture as a decisive blow to 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. “By stripping the criminal syndicates of assets worth over N33.6 billion, we have struck at the heart of their operations.”
The 17 containers were intercepted at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, on multiple dates in 2025, including April 29, May 14, May 19, May 20, May 28, May 29, May 30, June 13, July 29, August 13, August 14, and September 4.
The containers held 19.6 million pills of Tramadol, Tafrodol, Tapentadol, and Carisoprodol, as well as 2.49 million bottles of codeine syrup.
Marwa commended NDLEA officers at the Onne Port Command for their vigilance and acknowledged the support of the Nigeria Customs Service and other port stakeholders. He also appreciated international partners for intelligence sharing and technical support.
In June 2025, the NDLEA intercepted seven watch-listed containers containing opioids and codeine syrup valued at N9.3 billion at the same port complex. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) seized 16 containers of fake and substandard products worth approximately N20.5 billion at Onne in August 2025.
 has secured an interim court order forfeiting 17 shipping containers of opioids valued at more than N33.6 billion intercepted at the Onne Port in Rivers State, the agency announced on Tuesday, April 21, 2026.){kind=link}