The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ogun I Area Command, has intercepted contraband goods with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦1.35 billion within six weeks, describing the development as a major blow to economic saboteurs.
The Acting Customs Area Controller, O. O. Afeni, disclosed this during a press briefing held on Monday, March 16, 2026. He noted that the command had intensified efforts to dismantle smuggling networks through intelligence-driven operations and strategic surveillance.
Afeni said the seizures highlight persistent attempts by smugglers to undermine national fiscal policies, stressing that the command remains vigilant across key border corridors.
Items intercepted and displayed at the Idiroko border include 2,539 kegs of vegetable oil (25 litres each) seized from a truck along the Agbara axis, 2,547 parcels of cannabis sativa including the Ghana Loud strain 4,325 cartons of foreign spaghetti, and 1,204 bags of foreign parboiled rice. Other items recovered include 13,625 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, four live pangolins, and two antiquities.
“To the economic saboteurs and their sponsors, there is no trick we cannot uncover,” Afeni stated. “We are strategically positioned to decisively truncate those with malicious intentions.”
On revenue generation, Afeni revealed that the command recorded ₦285.6 million within the review period, a sharp increase compared to ₦26.3 million generated during the same period in 2025.
He further disclosed that the command facilitated exports with a Free on Board value of ₦305.7 million, a significant improvement from the zero export recorded in the corresponding period last year.
Highlighting inter-agency collaboration, Afeni said the seized narcotics were handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), while the rescued pangolins were transferred to Green Fingers Wildlife Conservation. The antiquities were also handed over to the National Museum Abeokuta for preservation.
The acting controller attributed the command’s achievements to the policy direction of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, reiterating that Nigeria’s borders remain closed to illegal activities while open to legitimate trade.
ELIJAH ADEYEMI
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