Nigeria's Customs Service has intercepted contraband valued at over N4.9 billion across Ogun and Cross River states. The seized items include foreign rice, vegetable oil, cannabis, used tyres, fuel and second-hand clothing.
Acting Controller Oladapo Afeni spoke at Idiroko in Ogun State on Thursday. He manages the Ogun I Area Command of the service.
Between April 1 and June 23, the command generated N259.8 million in revenue. That marks a 238 percent jump compared to the same period last year.
His team recorded 146 separate seizures with a Duty Paid Value of N4.63 billion. Officers confiscated 2,807 bags of foreign rice, according to Afeni.
Cannabis parcels numbered 9,482, he noted. Marijuana sacks totaled 62 units seized during the period.
Petrol recovered amounted to 16,525 litres, Afeni disclosed. Officers also impounded 7,642 pairs of shoes and 2,427 smuggled tyres.
Used clothing seized came to 73 bales, the controller added. Tramadol sachets numbered 100 units.
One truck carried 2,427 tyres disguised with a "For Sale" sticker. Other vehicles transported rice hidden beneath cement bags.
Smuggling damages local industries and costs Nigerians jobs, Afeni warned. It weakens the economy, he stressed.
Across in Cross River, Controller MG Dauda reported different seizures. His area covers Calabar Free Trade Zone and Akwa Ibom.
Officers intercepted 1,996 kegs of foreign vegetable oil on the Odukpani-Calabar Highway. Two 20-foot containers held the contraband.
Dauda valued that oil at N195.5 million in duties. His command also seized 1,500 imported used tyres this year.
Second-hand clothing in 105 jumbo rolls was worth over N77 million. About 5,760 litres of Premium Motor Spirit came into custody, Dauda said.
All items violate the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, according to him. The seizures protect Nigerian industries and public health, he noted.
