The Nigeria Customs Service has formally transferred hard drugs seized in the mid-1980s to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after the exhibits were recently uncovered in an old Customs operations warehouse.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said the items were discovered during a routine clean-up and renovation exercise at a warehouse that has been in use since the 1980s.
He explained that officers found a locked cabinet that had been passed down through successive administrations without a key or records detailing its contents.
Adeniyi said the discovery was immediately reported to Customs headquarters in Abuja, and relevant security agencies were alerted to rule out any security threats.
After police operatives confirmed that the cabinet contained no explosive materials, approval was granted to open it.
He revealed that the cabinet contained drug exhibits seized in 1986 and 1987, which had remained in Customs custody for decades.
Recovered items included six blocks and three slabs of cannabis sativa weighing a combined 16.4 kilogrammes, which tested positive during a joint preliminary analysis conducted with NDLEA officials.
Also found were 52,168 capsules of quinal barbitone sodium (100mg), with a total weight of 14.6 kilogrammes.
In addition, permuline tablets weighing 246 grammes tested positive, while a whitish substance weighing approximately 2.7 kilogrammes tested negative during initial field tests and has been forwarded for detailed forensic examination.
“Two parcels weighing 220.01 grammes that tested positive for heroin were also recovered.”
The Comptroller-General noted that the seizures were made before the establishment of the NDLEA, explaining why the drugs remained under Customs custody for over 30 years.
He added that despite the long period, the exhibits were properly secured, reflecting improvements in exhibit management over time.
“With the appropriate agency now in place, we have officially handed over the exhibits to the NDLEA for further investigation and scientific analysis,” Adeniyi said.
Receiving the drugs on behalf of the NDLEA, the Deputy Commander in charge of Operations and Training at the NDLEA Kano Strategic Command, Bello Garba Jabo, representing the State Commander, Dahiru Yahyah Lawal, praised the Nigeria Customs Service for preserving the exhibits and for its cooperation in the handover.
Jabo said the NDLEA would subject the substances to comprehensive forensic testing in line with standard procedures, adding that no current monetary value would be assigned to the drugs due to changes in market conditions over the years.