Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Ogun, Nigeria — The Ogun Area I Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced a major breakthrough in its anti-smuggling operations, seizing contraband goods with a duty-paid value of over N2 billion within a two-week period of intensified enforcement across the state. The seizures reflect sustained efforts to clamp down on illegal imports and the smuggling of prohibited goods along the Ogun–Benin border and key transit routes.
The Area Controller, Comptroller Oladapo Afeni, disclosed the results during his maiden press briefing at the command’s headquarters in Idiroko, underscoring the command’s commitment to enforcing customs laws and protecting the Nigerian economy from illicit trade. Officers and operatives involved in the surveillance and interdiction operations were credited with a range of significant seizures that contributed to the substantial total value.
Among the contraband intercepted were thousands of cartons of substandard imported spaghetti originating from Turkey, large consignments of vegetable oil in kegs from Indonesia, 4,738 bags of foreign rice, and 6,750 litres of petrol. Authorities also seized 309 bundles of used tyres, narcotics weighing 1,502 kg, and multiple vehicles — including two foreign-used cars and eight additional vehicles used in smuggling operations. The trucks used to convey illegally imported goods were also valued at tens of millions of naira.
Customs sources emphasised that many of the intercepted food items, including foreign rice and certain edible products, are classified as contraband under Nigerian trade and import regulations, which strictly prohibit their importation without appropriate approvals. Such prohibitions are aimed at protecting local producers and ensuring food safety standards.
The command’s enforcement push also yielded revenue of over N27 million in the same period, generated through lawful duties, assessments and related processes tied to the seizures and enforcement activities. Officials emphasised that revenue gains from enforcement activities complement broader trade facilitation efforts by discouraging illegal trade practices.
Comptroller Afeni underscored that the results of the two-week operation demonstrate the effectiveness of intelligence-driven strategies, heightened surveillance, and coordinated field operations by the NCS. He reiterated the command’s resolve to sustain pressure on smugglers, illegal traders and economic saboteurs whose activities undermine domestic industries, threat public safety and erode government revenue.
Officials also urged stakeholders — including transporters, traders and the general public — to support the Nigeria Customs Service by providing timely and credible information that can assist in further anti-smuggling and compliance efforts. The customs leadership reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s borders and upholding the rule of law in trade practices.
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