*Seizes Prohibited Items Worth N2.35b. *Suspects Arrested, Under Investigations
No fewer than 473 smuggling attempts were made in the South-west geo-political zone within eight weeks, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone ‘A’, Ikeja, Lagos, Comptroller Gambo Aliyu has revealed.
Aliyu who disclosed this Tuesday while briefing journalists on the activities of officers and men of the unit also provided insight into ongoing efforts in the fight against economic saboteurs across the South-Western states of Nigeria.
He averred that NCS, FOU, Zone ‘A’ remains firm and focused on safeguarding Nigeria’s borders, protecting the economy, and combating all forms of illicit activities.
“Under my humble leadership, the unit intensified decisive measures against smugglers who would stop at nothing to undermine the enforcement of the Federal government fiscal policy measures and the provisions of the NCS Act 2023”, he declared.
He revealed that the unit is leveraging on advanced surveillance, intelligence sharing frameworks, and inter-agency collaboration to make tangible results.
The seizures include rice – 8,794 bags of 50kg each equivalent to 15 trailer loads; used Tokunbo vehicles – 22 units; 1,863 pieces of used refrigerator compressors; used clothing – 328 bales; vegetable oil 1188 kegs of 25 litres each; and premium motor spirit (PMS) – 31, 705 litres.
Others are 485 pieces used tyres; 69 cartons of foreign Bonita spaghetti; 24 bags 50kg each of foreign sugar and five cartons of Saint Louis brand of sugar; and 531 cartons of foreign poultry products.
The CAC also used the occasion to state that the unit has reinforced its anti-smuggling strategies to continuously cut supply chain networks in drug trafficking with the launch of an operation code named “Operation Hawk.”
Giving reasons for the initiative, Aliyu said: “This is aimed at curbing illicit goods trafficking, safeguarding revenue and protecting our society and environment from incidences of crime, criminalities and pervasive societal vices that threaten national stability. Against this backdrop, the unit successfully took out 3,340 parcels of synthetic strain of cannabis indica, ‘Ghanaian loud’, weighing 1540kg from the society.
“This effort is an affirmation of our commitment in the fight against drugs smuggling syndicates in the zone. Our analysis of the trend in recent times, indicate that the traffickers are devising different methods to perpetuate illicit trade. Therefore, there is the need for critical security stakeholders to upscale their intelligence sharing mechanism to cut the supply chain completely. In addition to leveraging modern technologies for intelligence gathering, I have also constituted and effectively coordinated a specialised team responsible for integrating Human
Intelligence (HUMINT) and Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) operations, which is already yielding positive and measurable results.”
In the same vein, Aliyu disclosed that in a separate operation, officers and men of the Gbaji outpost acting on credible intelligence at about 0645hrs of Thursday 30th April 2026, intercepted a green coloured Toyota Highlander driven by one Mr. Oni Iredia Martins, a 71year old male Nigerian citizen suspected to convey a narcotic substance.
According to the Customs Chief, further examination of the vehicle revealed 6 parcels of cocaine substance, with two parcels of the powdered substance cocaine weighing 2.3kg, and four parcels of the Methamphetamine weighing 4.1kg of crack cocaine, all totaling 6.4kg of the illicit substance. The consignment was intercepted at Elijah Bus stop along the Lagos-Abidjan corridor, and has a street value of approximately N2.35b.
He revealed that the numerous seizures occurred across borders in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, and Ondo States just as several suspects were arrested in connection with these operations.
The CAC disclosed that in a clear demonstration of inter-agency collaboration, the seized 1,540kg of synthetic strain of cannabis indica, ‘Ghanaian loud’ totaling 3,340 compressed packages, together with the 6.4kg of cocaine and methamphetamine will be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and prosecution in courts of competent jurisdictions.
“These seizures underscore the operational prowess and strategic effectiveness of our operatives. They also reinforce our unwavering dedication to disrupt smuggling networks and confront economic saboteurs whose actions threaten national security and undermine the fiscal policies of the federal government headlong”, he declared.
He also disclosed that vigilant officers on duty, seized four cylinders of a chemical confirmed to be high grade mercury, the item is illegally used in small scale mining of gold.
Said he: “The item is a dual purpose chemical that poses significant environmental hazards and is controlled by the Minamata convention on mercury. The items were concealed in the false bottom segment in the trunk of a Toyota Avensis, at the Gbaji Outpost, along the Lagos-Abidjan corridor. The arrest was effected together with a male suspect who has been granted administrative bail, as investigation reached an advanced stage. The items and the suspect would be handed over to NESREA in furtherance of our agency function as directed by headquarters”.
Continuing, Aliyu said: “In addition to the numerous physical seizures and arrests made, the unit also achieved remarkable success in revenue recovery through sustained enforcement of compliance measures and anti-smuggling operations. A duty paid value (DPV) of ₦5,504,039,720.00 was recorded during the period under review. This impressive figure is a clear testimony to the scale, intensity, and strategic effectiveness of our operations across Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, and Ondo States. It underscores the unit’s unwavering commitment to the recovery of unpaid duties, interception of under-declared consignments, and strict enforcement of the Federal Government’s fiscal policies. The ₦5,504,039,720.00 DPV further demonstrates the significant contribution of the Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’ to national revenue mobilization efforts, while simultaneously dealing a heavy blow to economic saboteurs and smugglers who attempt to undermine the nation’s economic interests”.
He averred that this achievement reinforces the service resolve to maintain a high level of operational efficiency and fiscal responsibility in line with the vision of the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Dr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.
According to him, aside enforcement operations, FOU Zone ‘A’ plays a vital role in ensuring compliance with import and export regulations. Strengthening the integrity of the declarations on the trade value chain remains a priority. In line with the one stop initiative of the service, the unit continues to scrutinize questionable declarations, interdict unpaid duty and issue Demand Notices (DN) in concert with the Post Clearance Audit, where necessary. Consequently, between 3rd February and 28th April 2026, a total of N97, 703, 596.55 was recovered.
In the same vein, he stated that in alignment with the vision of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for a modern, technology-driven NCS, FOU, Zone ‘A’ is aggressively advancing the digitization of its operations.
His words: “We are integrating cutting-edge technologies, particularly geospatial intelligence, to curb unwholesome practices including smuggling, under-declaration, duty evasion, and illicit trafficking. This includes the deployment of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), satellite imagery, drone surveillance, real-time vehicle tracking, and predictive analytics to map high-risk border corridors, monitor smuggling hotspots in real time across Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, and Ondo states, and enable proactive, intelligence-led operations.
“Geospatial tools allow us to overlay seizure data, movement patterns of contraband such as rice, used vehicles, and narcotics, and intelligence reports on digital maps. This facilitates better resource allocation, rapid response, and disruption of supply chains before they reach our highways. The recent commissioning of our new state-of-the-art command headquarters at Iperu in Ogun State provides the perfect infrastructure backbone for this modernization drive. The facility will host an advanced command and control centre equipped for geospatial monitoring, data analytics, and seamless inter-agency collaboration with NDLEA, Police, and other security and intelligence organisations”.
Giving an insight into the new development, he noted that this technological transformation aligns fully with the CGC’s vision of modernizing the NCS to meet global standards, enhance operational efficiency, improve revenue collection, and deliver faster trade facilitation while maintaining robust border security.
Said he: “By embracing these tools, we are not only strengthening enforcement but also creating a more transparent, accountable, and responsive Customs administration that supports legitimate trade in line with the World Trade Organisation (WCO) Safe Framework of Standards”.
Aliyu averred that while we maintain vigilance against smuggling, fraud and criminalities, NCS, FOU, Zone ‘A’ remains a strong partner in trade facilitation as it continue to support legitimate trade through intelligence-driven operations that strike a balance between security enforcement and economic growth by ensuring that lawful traders are not unduly hindered in the process.
