The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kwara Area Command, has achieved a significant enforcement success, intercepting contraband goods valued at approximately ₦1.2 billion in less than one month.
Acting Area Controller of the command, Deputy Comptroller Najeem Akanmu Ogundeyi, disclosed the achievements during a media briefing at the command headquarters in Ilorin. He attributed the success to intelligence‑driven patrols, sustained enforcement operations and a firm commitment to professionalism since taking office.
Ogundeyi listed the seized items to include:
- 389 bales of second‑hand clothing and 108 sacks of used bags intercepted along the Ogbomosho–Eyenkorin corridor,
- 6,500 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) intercepted at patrol points near the Bogoro border axis,
- 450 bags of foreign parboiled rice (50kg each) seized at the Okuta border patrol base,
- Three luxury vehicles, including a 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser VX, a 2025 Lexus LX 600, and a 2016 Mercedes‑Benz GLE 350, and
- 170 used tyres intercepted along the Lagos–Jebba Expressway.
According to Ogundeyi, the total duty‑paid value of the seizures stands at ₦1,219,290,369, reflecting the command’s intensified efforts to clamp down on smuggling and other forms of economic sabotage.
He warned that individuals involved in illegal trade “will face the full weight of the law,” stressing that Kwara State is no longer a safe corridor for smuggled goods.
The Acting Controller also commended the dedication of customs officers and officers from sister security agencies, including the Police, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Immigration Service, and Nigeria Correctional Service for their collaboration in the operations.
Ogundeyi further encouraged members of the public to provide credible intelligence to aid ongoing border security efforts, describing citizens as indispensable partners in protecting the nation’s economy and securing its borders.
