The Adamawa/Taraba Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized contraband worth a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N112,590,000, including a massive haul of expired drugs and raw donkey skins, in an intensified anti-smuggling campaign.
The seizures were announced by Comptroller Garba Bashir, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), at a press conference on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at the Customs House in Yola.
The Command recorded 29 seizures over a six-week period through intelligence-driven patrols across various flashpoints, including the Mubi–Sahuda and Gurin–Fufore axes.
The most striking seizures included 91 cartons of expired Tramadol capsules, 64 pieces of complete raw donkey skins intended for illegal exportation, 20,600 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), packed in 824 jerrycans, and 54 cartons of foreign soaps.
Comptroller Bashir warned that the intercepted 91 cartons of expired Tramadol posed a severe public health risk.
The drugs were seized on August 30, 2025, in Mubi. “If these expired Tramadol capsules had found their way into circulation, they could have caused widespread harm, human capital deterioration, and unfair market competition,” the Controller stated.
The seized drugs will be immediately handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for safe destruction, in line with the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.
On September 30, 2025, Customs operatives intercepted 64 raw donkey skins at the Damare River Bank. The CAC noted that the skins were concealed, awaiting transit across waterways into Cameroon.
Comptroller Bashir stressed that the illegal export of donkey skin, driven by international demand, risks the species’ extinction and contravenes the Export Prohibition List under the Common External Tariff.
“The seizure represents the slaughter of 64 donkeys. If this illicit trade continues unchecked, the species risks extinction,” he warned.
The seized 20,600 litres of PMS will be immediately auctioned to the public, with proceeds remitted to the Federation Account, following the Service’s Standard Operating Procedure.
Additionally, the 54 cartons of foreign soap were seized on October 3, 2025, along the Damare River Bank for violating import laws.
Comptroller Bashir affirmed the Command’s commitment to border security and trade facilitation, vowing to dismantle all smuggling networks in Adamawa and Taraba states.
He also commended the continuous dialogue with border communities and the cooperation of sister security agencies for the operational successes.
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