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Customs seizes contraband, fuel worth N1.84bn in South-West

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5 months ago

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The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has recorded a major breakthrough in its ongoing anti-smuggling operations, seizing contraband goods and petroleum products valued at over N1.84 billion, destined for smuggling into the Benin Republic.

The coordinated operation, which ran from June 3 to July 18, 2025, covered several South-Western states under Zone A jurisdiction. It led to the interception of a wide range of prohibited items and the disruption of an illegal fuel export ring. Nine suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures.

Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed these details during a press briefing at the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos.

Adeniyi revealed that the FOU carried out 102 targeted enforcement operations during the six-week period, focusing on well-known smuggling flashpoints across Lagos, Ogun, and surrounding states.

Among the items seized were: 3,500 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice (equivalent to six trailer loads), 304 kg of cannabis sativa (Indian hemp), 7,900 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) stored in 316 jerry cans, 54 bags and 20 bales of used clothing, 41 sacks of used footwear, 14 used vehicles (Tokunbo), 148 used tyres, 42 gas cylinders, 31 air conditioners, and 95 cartons of frozen poultry.

The Unit also intercepted multiple misdeclared containers aimed at evading customs duties. These included: A 40-foot container (TRHU 83907321) loaded with used tyres, a 20-foot container (ONEU241369) with unregistered pharmaceutical products, two 40-foot containers (MSKU 4796036 and MAEU 9205708) containing assorted prohibited goods, a container truck carrying used refrigerators, foreign supermarket items, and second-hand clothing.

According to Adeniyi, the duty paid value of all intercepted items stood at N1.78 billion.

In a related clampdown, the Operation Whirlwind team, also operating under Zone A, intercepted a significant volume of petroleum products allegedly being smuggled into Benin Republic.

Acting on credible intelligence, operatives uncovered: 1,134 jerry cans of PMS (25–30 litres each), 33 drums of PMS, totaling 35,535 litres, six vehicles used in conveying the products.

The products were intercepted across key smuggling corridors in Ajilete, Ijoun, Ilaro, Badagry, Owode Idiroko, Eree Ado-Odo, and Obada Imeko, spanning Lagos and Ogun states. The estimated DPV for the seized fuel and vehicles was placed at N58.3 million.

In addition to physical seizures, the NCS recovered N95.6 million in unpaid duties from importers and clearing agents who attempted to evade correct duty payments through under-declaration and false documentation.

Adeniyi explained that the recoveries were made through the issuance of Demand Notices, DNs, following thorough documentation reviews and profiling exercises.

He confirmed that nine suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures. While some have been released on administrative bail, others are being transferred to appropriate security agencies for further investigation and possible prosecution.

“These arrests and high-value seizures highlight the operational precision and strategic capacity of our anti-smuggling formations,” Adeniyi stated.

“They also reflect our determination to dismantle smuggling networks and curb the activities of economic saboteurs whose actions undermine national energy security and threaten government policies,” he added.

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