Customs intercept 250 bags of rice hidden in fuel tanker

The Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘B’ of the Nigeria Customs Service, Kaduna, has intensified its clampdown on smuggling with the interception of 250 bags of foreign parboiled rice cunningly concealed in a fuel tanker.

The Unit also handed over seized pharmaceutical products and hazardous chemicals to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, respectively.

The Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘B’ of the Nigeria Customs Service, Kaduna, seized 250 bags of foreign rice hidden in a fuel tanker on Wednesday. Credit: Customs
This was contained in a statement issued in Kaduna on Wednesday by the Unit’s Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Customs, Saidu Nuruddeen.

According to the statement, the seizure followed a tip-off received by operatives patrolling the Yauri-Kontagora Road in Kebbi State.

The intercepted vehicle, a DAF tanker truck, was escorted to Kaduna, where a thorough physical examination uncovered the contraband.

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Acting Comptroller of the Unit, AM Alkali, disclosed that the truck was intercepted on August 3, 2025, based on credible intelligence indicating suspicious movement along the corridor.

“Our operatives acted swiftly and professionally. Upon examination at our Kaduna office, 250 bags of foreign parboiled rice still under import prohibition were found concealed within the tanker, a vehicle usually meant for transporting petroleum products.”

The Comptroller revealed that the duty paid value of the seized rice was ₦20,510,000.

Zone B of the Federal Operations Unit covers Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kogi, Kwara, and the Federal Capital Territory, making it one of the largest Customs enforcement zones in the country.

Alkali said, “On August 3, 2025, an operatives of the Unit acting on actionable intelligence intercepted a Daf tanker truck along Yauri-Kontagora Road, in Kebbi State, the team escorted the vehicle to Kaduna for a thorough physical examination.

“Upon examination, it was discovered that 250 bags of foreign parboiled rice were concealed inside the tanker, which were subsequently seized. The duty paid value for the seized rice stands at twenty million, five hundred and ten thousand Naira only.”

Alkali commended his officers for their vigilance, adding that the success of the operation reflected the Unit’s evolving intelligence-led strategy to suppress smuggling.

He emphasized the Unit’s dedication to using proactive surveillance and intelligence to suppress smuggling activities and protect Nigeria’s economic interests.

In a separate but related enforcement operation, the Unit on July 17, 2025, officially handed over large quantities of unregistered pharmaceutical products and industrial chemicals to NAFDAC and NESREA.

Items handed over to the NAFDAC Kaduna State Command included 58,740 sachets of 100mg and 50mg medicaments, and 27 cartons of Analgin injection, a painkiller known to have been banned or restricted in several countries due to safety concerns.

The Unit also handed three sacks containing 990 pieces of Riodin chemical to the NESREA Kaduna State Office, highlighting the environmental hazards posed by the unregulated importation of industrial substances.

The Comptroller also took the opportunity to commend President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, for the recent extension of the tenure of the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.

Comptroller Alkali described the extension as a testament to the CGC’s visionary leadership, professional excellence, and contributions to repositioning the NCS in line with global best practices.

“The tenure extension is a clear endorsement of the CGC’s leadership. He is a reform-minded officer who has brought innovation, transparency, and professionalism to the Nigeria Customs Service,” Alkali said.