Oritsegbubemi Omatseyin
Lagos — The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Ogun I Area Command, has intensified its crackdown on smuggling and other forms of economic sabotage, recording seizures of contraband worth a combined Duty Paid Value, DPV, of ₦2.469 billion.
The Acting Customs Area Controller of the Command, Deputy Comptroller Oladapo Afeni, disclosed this during a press conference at the Command’s headquarters in Idiroko, where he reviewed its operational activities and achievements.
He said the seizures included 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, 24 bales of second-hand clothing, four sacks of used shoes and 500 litres of diesel.
Afeni said the seizures resulted from intelligence-led enforcement operations and improved inter-agency collaboration, stressing that the Command remained committed to strengthening border security while facilitating legitimate trade.
“Our concerted operational strategies, intelligence-led enforcement, and enhanced inter-agency collaboration have yielded remarkable, tangible results across all key focus areas,” he said
A major highlight of the seizure was the interception of a 2026 Range Rover Sport with a DPV of ₦417,011,982. “Our relentless anti-smuggling drives have dealt severe blows to illicit trade networks operating across Ogun State.”
In line with inter-Agency collaboration, the seized parcels of cannabis sativa were handed over to a representative of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, for further investigation.
Receiving the items, the Commander, NDLEA Idiroko Special Command, Olasumbo Akande, urged Nigerians to join the campaign against rampant drug abuse.
“Idiroko remains a no-go area. The Nigeria Customs, NDLEA, and other sister agencies will always come together to say “No” to hard drugs coming into our country or using our border as a transit for illegal goods,” he said.
