The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully obtained an interim forfeiture order for opioids valued at over N33.6 billion. These illicit substances were intercepted at the Onne Port in Rivers State.

The agency's Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, via a statement issued from Abuja. The intercepted containers were seized at different times spanning from April to September 2025.

Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, delivered the ruling following an ex parte motion filed by the NDLEA on February 10, 2026, under suit number FHC/PH/MISC/25/2026.

The court ordered the interim forfeiture of seventeen (17) shipping containers containing a total of three hundred and sixty-five thousand, six hundred and seventy-five (365,657kg) of various types of psychotropic substances. These were illegally imported into Nigeria through the Onne Sea Port, Onne, Eleme, Rivers State, by unknown individuals.

The court further directed that the NDLEA should retain custody of the containers until the final determination of the case.

NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), hailed the forfeiture as a significant blow to drug cartels. He stated, “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 added, “By stripping the criminal syndicates of assets worth over N33.6 billion, we have struck at the heart of their operations. This sends a clear message: the Nigerian state will not allow the proceeds of death to circulate to fund terrorism and other forms of criminality in our country.”

The 17 containers were intercepted at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, on multiple dates in 2025. These dates include April 29; May 14, 19, 20, 28 and 29; May 30; June 13; July 29; August 13 and 14; and September 4.