Rifles, ammunition, fake drugs and codeine cough syrups among major seizures under Babandede’s leadership
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Port Harcourt Area II Command, Onne, Rivers State, has generated a total of N859 billion in revenue and seized contraband valued at over N200 billion between May 2024 and July 2025.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Theophilus Duniya, disclosed this in a document made available on Thursday, highlighting the achievements of Muhammad Babandede during his tenure as Customs Area Controller before his recent elevation.
Earlier this week, Nigeria Customs Service Board, at its 63rd regular meeting, approved the promotion of Babandede and 11 others to the rank of Assistant Comptroller General (ACG). Until his appointment, Babandede served as the Customs Area Controller of the Onne Command.
Revenue performance
According to the breakdown, the command recorded monthly revenues as follows:
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2024: N47.42bn (May), N62.34bn (June), N62.85bn (July), N47.73bn (August), N49.50bn (September), N64.68bn (October), N51.80bn (November), and N50.82bn (December).
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2025: N61.49bn (January), N62.37bn (February), N66.71bn (March), N54.31bn (April), N64.03bn (May), N56.35bn (June), and N57.52bn (July).
This amounted to N859bn within 15 months, underscoring what officials described as one of the command’s most productive periods.
Contraband seizures
The document further revealed that, under Babandede’s leadership, the command intercepted an array of contraband items, including:
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544 assorted rifles
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112,500 rounds of ammunition
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Over 75 million tablets of tramadol
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Over 14 million bottles of codeine-laced cough syrup
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Over 50 million tablets of other expired or dangerous medicines
All the seizures had a combined duty paid value estimated at N200bn.
National security implications
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, commended Babandede and his team for what he described as an outstanding performance in disrupting illegal trade and safeguarding national security.
“The Onne Customs, under the leadership of Mohammed Babandede, beat smugglers and importers of contraband at their game,” Adeniyi said.
“I want to express my deep appreciation to the officers of the Port Harcourt Area II Command for their relentless efforts in safeguarding our nation. Your dedication to duty and your commitment to the fight against smuggling are commendable, and your efforts do not go unnoticed,” he added.
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Adeniyi stressed that the seizures were carried out in strict compliance with customs laws, particularly concerning concealment, false declaration, and the importation of prohibited items.
