Kwara Customs Seizes Goods, Vehicles Worth ₦604.3m, Generates ₦7.98bn Revenue

Kwara Customs Seizes Goods, Vehicles Worth ₦604.3m, Generates ₦7.98bn Revenue

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kwara Area Command, has intercepted various contraband goods, pharmaceutical products, petroleum products and vehicles with a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦604.33 million.

The seizures, made across various operational corridors in the command, included foreign rice, spaghetti, used clothing, Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Tramadol and two vehicles.

The Acting Customs Area Controller of the command, Deputy Comptroller Najeem Akanmu Ogundeyi, disclosed this during a press briefing on the activities of the command.

Ogundeyi said the seizures were the outcome of intelligence-led operations, sustained patrols and collaboration with sister security agencies to curb smuggling and protect the nation’s economy.

According to him, the command intercepted 80 bales and six sacks of used clothing along the Ogbomoso/Jebba axis, with a DPV of ₦32.3 million.

He said officers also seized 6,875 litres of PMS along the Bukuro/Okuta/Chikanda axis, valued at ₦2.75 million, while 3,396 packets of Tramadol 100mg intercepted along the Okuta axis had a DPV of ₦50.946 million.

Other seizures included 14 bags of Basmati rice, 5kg each, intercepted along the Bode-Saadu Expressway and valued at ₦350,000; 6,705 cartons of foreign spaghetti intercepted along the Bode-Saadu axis, valued at ₦201.15 million; and 270 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 50kg each, with a DPV of ₦25.245 million.

The command also intercepted a 2025 Toyota Highlander along the Bode-Saadu Expressway, valued at ₦214 million, and a 2018 Dodge Charger SXT along the Lagos/Kwara highway at Eyankorin, with a DPV of ₦77.592 million.

The total DPV of the eight seizures was put at ₦604,333,592.

Ogundeyi explained that the enforcement of restrictions on the movement of certain food products should not be misconstrued as opposition to food availability, stressing that the Customs Service was mandated to enforce laws governing cross-border trade.

He said the illegal importation of foreign food products through unapproved routes undermined government policies designed to encourage local agricultural production, protect domestic investment and strengthen the country’s value chain.

“Legitimate trade will receive our maximum support, but smuggling will encounter uncompromising enforcement,” he said.

The Acting Controller further highlighted the seizure of Tramadol as a major public health and security concern, noting that the illegal entry of unregulated pharmaceutical products posed serious risks to Nigerians.

He also said the interception of PMS was important in preventing the diversion of petroleum products meant for domestic consumption into illicit border markets.

Beyond seizures, the command recorded significant revenue generation during the period under review, collecting a total of ₦7,978,338,031.21 for the Federal Government.

Ogundeyi said the revenue figure reflected the command’s commitment to maximising government revenue while balancing its responsibilities of trade facilitation, enforcement and national security.

He commended officers and men of the command, particularly the Intelligence Unit and Customs Police Unit, for their contribution to the successes recorded.

He also stressed the importance of inter-agency collaboration in tackling trans-border crimes, saying smuggling and other forms of cross-border criminality could not be effectively addressed by the Customs Service alone.

The Acting Controller expressed appreciation to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, for his strategic direction and support to the command.

He urged border communities, traditional rulers, commercial transporters and other stakeholders to see border security as a collective responsibility and provide credible information that could assist the Service in combating smuggling.

He equally appealed to media organisations to continue educating the public on the difference between legitimate international trade and illicit smuggling.

Ogundeyi assured compliant traders of the command’s support, while warning that those involved in smuggling would face the full weight of the law.