Kwara Customs Cracks Down on Smugglers, Seizes Goods Worth N1.2bn
The Nigeria Customs Service, Kwara Area Command, has intensified its crackdown on smuggling activities, recording seizures of prohibited and improperly imported goods with a duty-paid value of over N1.2bn.
The Acting Area Controller of the command, Mr Najeem Akanmu Ogunde, disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing journalists at the command headquarters in Ilorin.
Ogunde said the seizures were made through sustained patrols, credible intelligence and targeted enforcement operations since he assumed office, in line with the Customs Act 2023.
He expressed appreciation to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for the confidence reposed in him, and assured that the command would operate with professionalism, zero tolerance for compromise and a strong focus on revenue generation, suppression of smuggling and facilitation of legitimate trade.
The controller listed the intercepted items to include 389 bales of second-hand clothing and 108 sacks of used bags seized along the Ogbomosho–Eyenkorin axis; 6,509 litres of Premium Motor Spirit intercepted at patrol points along the Bogoro border axis; and 450 bags of foreign parboiled rice, each weighing 50kg, seized at the Okuta border patrol base.
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Also intercepted were three vehicles—a newly registered Toyota Land Cruiser VX 2025 model, a Lexus 2025 model and a 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350—along the Bode Sadu and Okuta axis, as well as 170 used tyres seized along the Lagos–Jebba Expressway.
According to Ogunde, the total duty-paid value of the seizures stands at N1,219,290,369.
“These seizures clearly demonstrate that smuggling will not be tolerated under my watch. Anyone involved in illegal trade will face the full weight of the law,” he warned.
He commended officers of the command for their dedication and resilience, stressing that Kwara State was no longer a safe haven for smugglers and economic saboteurs.
Ogunde noted that some of the seized items, particularly used clothing, could be considered for donation to orphanages, while detained vehicles may be released if owners are able to provide valid proof of lawful importation.
He called on members of the public to support the Customs Service with credible intelligence, describing citizens as critical partners in border security and economic protection.
“We are partners in progress, working together to secure our borders and strengthen the economy,” he said, assuring that enforcement operations would continue to be conducted with transparency, professionalism and respect for human rights.
Officials of sister security agencies, including the Police, Nigeria Correctional Service, Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigeria Immigration Service, were present at the briefing.
By PRNigeria
