The Nigeria Customs Service, Kwara Area Command, has intensified its border enforcement operations, intercepting a massive haul of contraband with a cumulative Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦604,333,592. The seizures, detailed during a press briefing by the Acting Area Controller, Deputy Comptroller Najeem Akanmu Ogundeyi, reflect the command’s unwavering resolve to suppress illicit cross-border trade since he assumed duty in late December 2025.
Addressing public misconceptions surrounding food security interventions, the command clarified that intercepting food products is not an attempt to restrict legitimate food availability. Instead, enforcement actions target goods smuggled through unapproved routes, bypassing regulatory frameworks, and undermining federal policies designed to protect domestic agricultural investments and local value chains from economic saboteurs.
The latest operational milestone comprises eight distinct interceptions across vulnerable corridors, including 6,705 cartons of foreign spaghetti valued at ₦201.1 million, 270 bags of foreign parboiled rice, and 80 bales of used clothing. High-value luxury vehicles were also impounded, featuring a 2025 Toyota Highlander along the Bode-Saadu Expressway worth ₦214 million and a 2018 Dodge Charger SXT intercepted on the Lagos/Kwara highway.
Beyond staple goods and luxury vehicles, the command clamped down on dangerous pharmaceuticals and energy products that threaten public safety and national security. Operatives successfully intercepted 3,396 packets of 100mg Tramadol valued at over ₦50.9 million, alongside 6,875 liters of Premium Motor Spirit meant to thwart the illegal siphoning of strategic national energy resources into illicit border markets.
In addition to aggressive anti-smuggling drives, the command sustained robust revenue generation through excise activities, pulling in a total of ₦7,978,338,031.21 during the period under review. This financial milestone underscores a balanced operational blueprint that successfully harmonizes aggressive revenue collection for the Federal Government with critical national security mandates.
The command attributed these operational successes to intelligence-led enforcement, synergy with sister security agencies, and strategic backing from the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi. Concluding the briefing, authorities appealed to border communities, traditional leaders, and commercial transporters to treat national security as a shared responsibility by volunteering timely intelligence to keep illicit trade at bay.
