The Nigeria Customs Service, Kwara Area Command, says it has intercepted smuggled goods worth more than N204 million, including large quantities of tramadol, cannabis, foreign rice and other prohibited items.
The command revealed that the seizures were made during a series of operations carried out between March and May 2026, even as Nigeria’s border with the Republic of Benin remains officially closed.
Speaking during the command’s third media briefing of the year in Ilorin, Acting Area Controller, Deputy Comptroller Najeem Ogundeyi, said officers intensified surveillance across several notorious smuggling routes and border communities in the state.
He listed the affected areas as Bukuro, Gurumi, Sikira, Okuta, Boriya, Tewu, Bero, Sango, Okeoyi, Alapa, Malete, Bani, Offa, Idofian, Eiyenkorin, as well as the Lagos-Ilorin Expressway.
According to him, smugglers have continued making attempts to move contraband goods through the routes, forcing operatives to sustain aggressive monitoring and enforcement activities.
Ogundeyi disclosed that customs operatives seized 376 kilograms of tramadol and 49.5 kilograms of cannabis during separate raids.
Other items intercepted included 155 bags of foreign parboiled rice valued at N52.4 million, 3,697 packs of macaroni pasta worth N110.9 million, and 418 jerrycans of vegetable oil with a Duty Paid Value estimated at N27.1 million.
The command also confiscated 237 jerrycans of Premium Motor Spirit containing 5,925 litres, alongside 70 used tyres, 18 bales of second-hand clothes and 19 jerrycans of corrosive oxidising chemicals.
Ogundeyi stated that the command recorded nine separate seizures within the period under review, with the total Duty Paid Value standing at N204,763,439.
He said the development reflects the agency’s determination to curb smuggling, protect legitimate trade and prevent revenue leakages.
The acting controller further announced that the command generated N3.89 billion in revenue during the first quarter of 2026. He attributed the performance to improved enforcement efforts and revenue from excise duties.
He also appealed to residents of border communities to cooperate with the service by providing useful intelligence that could help combat smuggling activities.
Ogundeyi assured that the command would continue to crack down on illegal trade and individuals undermining the country’s economy through smuggling operations.
