ABUJA, Nigeria, August 14, 2026: Oladapo Afeni, Acting Customs Area Controller of the Nigeria Customs Service Ogun I Area Command, on Thursday, August 13, 2026, announced a major Ogun Customs seizure worth ₦3,574,435,248.08 at the command’s headquarters in Idiroko, Ogun State, as officers intensified efforts to disrupt smuggling and cross-border criminal activity.

The seizures, recorded between June 24 and August 13, included 6,035 parcels of Ghana Loud and Indica cannabis, 2,339 bags of foreign parboiled rice and a range of other prohibited goods, according to the command.

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Afeni said the operation reflected a more aggressive enforcement strategy built around intelligence gathering, technology and increased border surveillance.

The haul also included 70 cartons of basmati rice, 30 bags of foreign sugar, 11,450 litres of Premium Motor Spirit stored in kegs and another 1,750 litres stored in drums.

Customs officers further intercepted 30 25-litre kegs of diesel, 100 bags of fertiliser, 67 bales of second-hand clothing, 2,674 pieces of new shorts and trousers and 3,760 pieces of new tops.

Other recovered items included 85 fire extinguishers, 480 cartons of Pure Haven drinks, 53 packages of oats, 47 cartons of cosmetics, 36 packages of hair accessories, three packages of surgical shoes and 127 new purses.

Afeni said the enforcement campaign was aimed not only at stopping prohibited imports but also at protecting legitimate businesses and domestic production.

“Smuggling is often painted by perpetrators as a harmless commercial venture or a simple means of survival,” Afeni said.

He argued that the continued movement of foreign rice through unofficial routes could undermine Nigerian farmers and local rice processors, particularly as the country seeks greater food self-sufficiency.

“When foreign rice is smuggled into our markets, it undermines our local farmers and agricultural investors,” he said.

The latest Ogun Customs seizure follows a pattern of sustained anti-smuggling activity by the command.

In March, the Nigeria Customs Service reported that the Ogun I Command had intercepted prohibited goods with a duty-paid value of about ₦1.35 billion, including foreign spaghetti, rice and cannabis.

The scale of the latest operation also highlights the continuing challenge posed by illicit drug trafficking around Nigeria’s international borders.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency maintains a dedicated Idiroko Special Command at the Nigeria-Benin Republic international border, underscoring the strategic importance of the corridor in efforts to combat drug trafficking and other cross-border offences.

Customs and the NDLEA have strengthened their cooperation this year.

In April, the two agencies agreed to a wider collaborative framework designed to improve intelligence sharing and joint operations against organised drug trafficking and other transnational crimes.

Afeni said the Ogun command had already handed over 32,412 parcels of hard drugs and 92 sacks of raw Cannabis sativa to the NDLEA Idiroko Special Command between January and August 2026.

The latest narcotics seized during the operation were subsequently transferred to the NDLEA for further investigation, in line with established procedures.

The wider Nigerian drug enforcement landscape has also seen several major interdictions this year. In June, the NDLEA and Customs jointly intercepted 6,778.5 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud at the Lagos port in an operation involving international intelligence cooperation.

In another June operation, the NDLEA reported the seizure of 4,959 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud worth an estimated ₦12.3975 billion in street value at Apapa port.

Beyond narcotics, Afeni said the Ogun command generated ₦90,066,164 in July from baggage assessments, auctions of perishable goods, Premium Motor Spirit and other charges.

The command also recorded 10,110 metric tonnes in exports during the period under review, with a Free On Board value of ₦2,594,078,654.

Afeni warned that the command would continue to tighten pressure on syndicates attempting to exploit Ogun’s border routes.

“To the syndicates and smugglers who think they can use Ogun I Command as a transit route for poison, hear this clearly: We are adapting faster than you are,” he said.

The warning comes as Customs continues to frame anti-smuggling enforcement as both an economic and security priority. Previous Customs operations in Ogun have similarly focused on protecting local industries from prohibited imports while disrupting the movement of illicit drugs and other dangerous goods.

Afeni appealed to traditional rulers, youth leaders and residents of border communities to share credible information with security agencies, stressing that local cooperation remains essential to detecting clandestine routes and storage locations.

He also urged consumers to support locally produced rice and other Nigerian goods, arguing that stronger domestic demand would help protect jobs, encourage investment and improve food security.

For the Ogun I Command, the latest seizures represent a significant enforcement success.

Yet the continued appearance of prohibited rice, drugs, fuel and other goods along border corridors shows that the challenge extends beyond individual interceptions.

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The effectiveness of the crackdown will ultimately depend on whether intelligence-led operations, inter-agency cooperation and stronger engagement with border communities can make legitimate trade more attractive while steadily closing the routes used by smuggling networks.