The Nigeria Customs Service said its operatives intercepted nine containers carrying offensive items including arms, ammunition, illicit drugs and second-hand clothes worth N13.9 billion.
Comptroller-General, NCS, Adewale Adeniyi disclosed this while addressing journalists at Onne Port, Rivers State.
Adeniyi said one of the containers which originated from Turkey, based on the number of risk factors associated with the importation, became a subject of interest to the service.
Giving details of the container, the CG explained that the service followed the sail of the container across continents and have benefitted immensely from credible information through collaboration with intelligence communities both at local, national and international levels.
According to him, the importer tried to circumvent the procedure through the outlet of a private-bonded terminal.
He said subjecting the container to a thorough physical examination, 844 units of assorted riffles and 12,500 pieces of life ammunition were found concealed with various items like doors, furniture fittings and leather bags.
The NCS boss stated that the duty-paid value of the container was N4.2bn, adding that three suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures after securing a detention warrant from a competent court of justice.
On the other containers, Adeniyi said, officers of the service intercepted eight pieces of 40-foot containers transiting from a bonded terminal, saying six of the containers were laden with 1.5 million bottles of cough syrup of codeine in 100ml sizes, 3.5m tablets of tramadol.
He concluded that the total duty-paid value of the nine containers is N13.9bn.