The Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun 1 Area Command, Idiroko, has between February and March impounded contraband including two antiquities with a duty paid value of N1,350,750,000 and generated revenue of N285,652,460 within the same period.
The difference in total revenue generated compared with the same period last year was N259,265,495, representing a 1,082 per cent increment.
The command also recorded a significant surge in export activity, moving 95 metric tons of goods with a Free on Board value of N305,749,264.05, representing a substantial year-on-year improvement compared with the same period in 2025, when there was zero trade.
The acting Area Controller, Olukayode Afeni, disclosed this at a briefing held at Idiroko on Monday.
As part of efforts to preserve cultural heritage and prevent the loss of historical antiquities, Afeni said the two antiquities seized from smugglers would be officially handed over to the curator of the National Museum, Baptist Girls College, Idi-aba, Abeokuta, following an expert appraisal.
He said seizures included 2,539 kegs of vegetable oil at 25 litres each, 4,325 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 1,204 bags of foreign rice, 2,547 parcels of cannabis sativa, 545 kegs of Premium Motor Spirit (13,625 litres) — equivalent to a tanker load — 50 bags of imported sugar, eight bales of second-hand clothing, 15 sacks of used clothing, five sacks of used ladies’ handbags, two sacks of used footwear, two used vehicles, and 13 used tyres.
“In addition to 2,090 kegs of smuggled vegetable oil at 25 litres each seized last December, and in our continuous efforts at stamping out unhealthy competition with our dedicated local producers of vegetable oil in Nigeria, our officers around the Agbara axis on March 11, 2026 successfully intercepted a truck with registration number APP-740-YD.
“Upon inspection, the vehicle was found to be conveying 2,539 kegs of vegetable oil at 25 litres each. Preliminary investigation revealed that they were smuggled through the creeks in trickles. Full investigation is underway.
“This significant seizure followed an earlier operation on March 4, 2026, where the command intercepted a Sino truck loaded with 4,325 cartons of foreign spaghetti (10kg each), highlighting a persistent trend in the smuggling of essential commodities,” he said.
Afeni said the seizures underscored the command’s commitment to suppressing smuggling, protecting the local vegetable oil industry, and safeguarding public health.
Warning smugglers to desist, he said, “Our war on smuggling continues. Smugglers may try new tactics to evade our checks, but they will remain unsuccessful.
“Between our high-level intelligence and our strategic monitoring, we are always one step ahead. To the economic saboteurs and their sponsors, there is no trick we cannot uncover.”
He said the command’s priority remained keeping the country’s borders safe from activities that would compromise national interests, international trade agreements, and national security.
Afeni thanked his officers for their dedication and patriotism, urging them to remain vigilant and uphold professionalism at their duty posts.
He also lauded stakeholders and the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for providing leadership that had boosted the morale of officers and kept them committed to safeguarding the country’s borders.