Operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun I Area Command, Idiroko, have intercepted contraband with a combined Duty Paid Value of N2.47 billion, including a 2026 Range Rover Sport Autobiography P530 valued at N417.01 million.
The seizures were made during the Command’s anti-smuggling operations and included foreign parboiled rice, cannabis, petroleum products, pneumatic tyres, second-hand clothing and used shoes.
The Acting Customs Area Controller of the Command, Deputy Comptroller Oladapo Afeni disclosed this at the Command’s headquarters in Idiroko while briefing journalists on its operational achievements and performance.
Afeni said; “the Command’s intelligence-led operations and collaboration with other security agencies had significantly disrupted smuggling activities along the Ogun border corridors.”
He listed the seized items as 1,204 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 3,893 parcels of cannabis weighing 1.878 tonnes, 428 pneumatic tyres, 8,675 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 24 bales of second-hand clothing, four sacks of used shoes and 500 litres of diesel, which have a combined Duty Paid Value of N2,469,153,523.68.
Afeni said the seizures reflected the Command’s efforts to protect Nigeria’s economic interests while curbing the movement of prohibited and improperly imported goods through the nation’s land borders.
He stated: “Despite prevailing economic challenges along our land borders, the Command has maintained a firm stance on legitimate trade facilitation while ensuring maximum revenue collection.”
Afeni explained that the Command had strengthened duty collection, baggage assessment and physical examination procedures, while improving import and export verification systems to facilitate compliant trade.
He said particular attention was being paid to sensitive goods, including Micra Stone, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), white talc, and crushed thermal coal, to ensure compliance with relevant regulations.
Afeni stated that the 3,893 parcels of cannabis seized by the Command would be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Idiroko Special Command, for further investigation, as part of inter-agency cooperation
He stressed that effective border security required sustained cooperation among security and regulatory agencies.
He stated that the Command had, over the past 10 months, held joint security meetings and operational engagements with the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service, NDLEA, and environmental management agencies to strengthen coordination against cross-border crimes.
Afeni said that the NCS had also engaged traditional rulers, youth leaders, and border community associations to build trust and reduce tensions during enforcement operations.
He explained that the Command’s activities extended beyond enforcement, noting that its community and environmental initiatives were aimed at supporting the development of border communities.
He assured stakeholders that the Command would continue to strengthen border security, suppress smuggling, facilitate legitimate trade, and deepen engagement with communities and other stakeholders across Ogun State.
