Joyce Mmereole Okoli
Operatives of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos, of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), have arrested seven suspected smugglers and seized contraband items valued at N1.285 billion during a series of operations across the Southwest.
Comptroller Muhammed Shuaibu, who assumed duty on April 23, 2025, disclosed this at a press briefing, describing the development as a major breakthrough in the Service’s renewed anti-smuggling efforts.
Shuaibu revealed that within just three weeks of his leadership, the Unit had intercepted more than seven trailer loads of smuggled goods including foreign parboiled rice, premium motor spirit (PMS), vehicles, hard drugs, and narcotics, with a total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of over N1.5 billion.
“It is pertinent to state that our renewed vigour to fight smuggling and criminalities through intelligence-driven operations has continued to pay off,” the Comptroller said.
“The resilience and dedication of our operatives have inflicted substantial losses on some economic saboteurs who are bent on bringing our country to its knees through their nefarious activities.”
He detailed some of the key interceptions, including two 40-foot containers with numbers MSCU 5295718 and MRSU 5856090, which were seized around the Ijora-Olopa and Mile 2 axis of Lagos in the early hours of May 23 and 24.
Upon inspection, the containers were found to contain seven Mitsubishi Canters, five Toyota Hiace buses, and three mini shuttle buses, all dismantled in an apparent bid to evade customs duties.
Other contraband items uncovered included 312 bales of printed wax, 23 bales of used clothing, 42 used gas cylinders, 30 used flat-screen televisions, 65 table-top cookers, 31 units of used split air conditioners, and a number of used bicycles, all in contravention of Schedule 4 of the Common External Tariff.
Further seizures were made on May 19, when officers intercepted a Volvo truck loaded with 1,263 used tyres and other prohibited goods. One suspect was arrested in connection with the discovery.
In a separate operation along the Sagamu-Ijebu Ode expressway, another truck with registration number T24623LA was intercepted, allegedly transporting uncustomed goods including bulletproof vests.