By Steve Agbota
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A, has recorded 125 interceptions of contraband goods valued at over N1.18 billion within six weeks in Ogun, Ondo and Oyo axis, as part of its intensified crackdown on smuggling activities across the southwestern states.
Also, four suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures and would be handed over to relevant agencies for investigation and prosecution. Displaying the contraband yesterday at the Customs warehouse yesterday in Lagos, the Comptroller of the Unit, Mohammed Shuaibu, highlighted the seizures to include, 5,015 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice, equivalent to eight trailer loads; 15 used (Tokunbo) vehicles; 640 parcels of Cannabis Sativa weighing 431.8kg and 460 jerrycans (25 litres each) of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
Others are 143 bales of used clothing, two jumbo sacks of used shoes, and one sack of used clothing; 390 bottles of Codeine, 310 foreign-branded drugs, and 19 cards of Tramadol; 210 pieces of used tyres; and One 20-foot container (ONEU 2419369 FTC) containing 752 cartons of Calcium Lactate, intercepted for false declaration.
He said the operations were intelligence-driven and aimed at safeguarding Nigeria’s borders, protecting the economy, and ensuring consumer safety from hazardous and counterfeit goods.
Shuaibu emphasised the unit’s commitment to inter-agency collaboration, noting that the confiscated pharmaceuticals and cannabis would be transferred to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) respectively.
He reiterated the enforcement of the 2016 Federal Government ban on the importation of foreign parboiled rice through land borders, warning that “selfish and unpatriotic individuals” who continue to flout the policy would suffer heavy losses.
Beyond enforcement, Shuaibu disclosed that the unit recovered N39.27 million in revenue through demand notices issued for import duty shortfalls between September 1 and October 7, 2025.
Receiving the drugs, the Deputy Commander of Narcotics, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nasir Bungudu, commended officers of the NCS for their vigilance and intelligence in intercepting another shipment of Indian hemp believed to have been smuggled into the country through sea.
Bungudu also lauded the Customs’ sustained efforts in combating drug trafficking, describing their operations as “dogged and intelligence-driven.”
“This is another Indian hemp that is not produced in Nigeria. It was brought in through the sea and the river. I thank the Customs for their ability to track and arrest the culprits. Their intelligence and timing in making such arrests are commendable,” Bungudu said.
He assured that the NDLEA would continue to strengthen its collaboration with the Customs Service to curb the smuggling of illicit drugs into the country, especially through waterways and land borders.
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