The Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun I Area Command, has recorded a major breakthrough in its anti-smuggling operations, intercepting contraband with a combined duty-paid value of N2.469 billion between August 2025 and September 2026.
Among the items seized were a 2026 Range Rover Sport Autobiography P530 valued at N417.012 million, 1,204 bags of foreign parboiled rice and 3,893 parcels of cannabis weighing 1.878 tonnes.
The Customs Area Controller, Deputy Comptroller Oladapo Afeni, disclosed this on Thursday at the command’s headquarters in Sentry, Idiroko, during a press briefing on the command’s operational activities within the period under review.
Afeni put the total duty-paid value of all seizures at N2,469,153,523.68, describing the achievement as a product of sustained intelligence-led operations and collaboration with other security agencies.
Other items intercepted by the command included 428 pneumatic tyres, 8,675 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) stored in kegs, 24 bales of second-hand clothing, four sacks of used shoes and 500 litres of diesel.
Cannabis Consignment Handed Over to NDLEA
Afeni disclosed that the 3,893 parcels of cannabis, weighing approximately 1.878 tonnes, had been handed over to the Idiroko Special Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation.
He said the command would continue to pay close attention to the movement of prohibited and sensitive goods through Ogun’s border corridors.
“Our relentless anti-smuggling drives have dealt severe blows to illicit trade networks operating across Ogun State,” Afeni said.
The Customs boss stressed that enforcement would not be at the expense of legitimate commerce, noting that the command remained committed to facilitating lawful trade while ensuring compliance with import and export regulations.
Customs, Security Agencies Strengthen Border Operations
According to Afeni, the command has intensified collaboration with the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service, NDLEA and environmental agencies through joint operations and regular security meetings.
He added that engagement with traditional rulers, youth leaders and border community associations had also been sustained to improve cooperation and reduce friction during enforcement operations.
Afeni commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and the management of the Nigeria Customs Service for their support.
He urged officers and men of the command to remain committed to protecting the nation’s economic interests.
The Customs Area Controller also warned smugglers and other individuals involved in illegal border activities that enforcement operations would be intensified across Ogun State.
“Ogun I Command will continue to be a hostile zone for uncustomed goods and illicit trade,” he said.
NDLEA: Idiroko Now ‘No-Go Area’ for Drug Traffickers
Also speaking, the Commander of the NDLEA Special Command, Idiroko, Mr Olufemi Akande, commended Customs for its collaboration in the fight against drug trafficking.
Akande said the volume of hard drugs being intercepted required stronger cooperation among security agencies to prevent Nigeria from becoming a destination or transit route for narcotics.
“We have made Idiroko a no-go area, no passage for drugs. The Nigerian Customs, NDLEA and other sister security agencies have joined together to say no to hard drugs coming into our country or using our country as a transit route,” he said.
He noted that the NDLEA could not be present at every location, stressing that the presence of Customs, the police and the Department of State Services at strategic border points had strengthened the fight against drug trafficking.
Akande also called on the media, community leaders and Nigerians to support campaigns against drug abuse, particularly among young people.
He warned that the unchecked movement of illicit drugs into communities could worsen social problems and endanger the future of Nigerian youths.
The latest seizures underscore the increasing enforcement activities along Ogun’s border corridors as security agencies intensify efforts to curb smuggling, drug trafficking and other forms of illegal cross-border trade.