Customs Seizes ₦2.47bn Contraband, Luxury SUV and Nearly Two Tonnes of Cannabis at Ogun Border

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Ogun I Area Command has recorded seizures valued at ₦2.469 billion in Duty Paid Value during intensified anti-smuggling operations between mid-August and mid-September 2026, officials announced this week.

Acting Area Controller Deputy Comptroller Oladapo Afeni disclosed the figures on Thursday, 17 September, at a press briefing held at the Command’s headquarters in Idiroko, Ogun State. The haul, achieved through intelligence-led enforcement and closer collaboration with sister security agencies, included a brand-new 2026 Range Rover Sport Autobiography P530 with a Duty Paid Value of ₦417,011,982 — the single most valuable item intercepted.

Other seized goods comprised 1,204 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 3,893 parcels of cannabis weighing 1.878 tonnes, 428 pneumatic tyres, 8,675 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) concealed in kegs, 500 litres of diesel, 24 bales of second-hand clothing and four sacks of used shoes.

Afeni described the results as evidence of the Command’s “uncompromising zero-tolerance policy for border economic sabotage.” He credited improved operational strategies, better inter-agency coordination with the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other partners, and sustained engagement with traditional rulers and border communities for the successes.

The cannabis was formally handed over to the NDLEA Idiroko Special Command for further investigation and necessary action. Receiving the consignment, Commander Olasumbo Akande called on Nigerians to support the collective fight against drug trafficking and abuse. He stressed that Idiroko must remain a no-go area for hard drugs, whether destined for the domestic market or intended to transit through the border.

Afeni reaffirmed the Command’s dual mandate: tightening security along the Ogun-Benin corridor while facilitating legitimate trade. He noted that the Command continues to optimise verification frameworks for compliant importers and exporters even as it applies strict oversight on prohibited and restricted goods.

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The latest interceptions form part of a broader pattern of intensified enforcement by the Ogun I Area Command under Afeni’s leadership. Earlier operations this year have also yielded multi-billion-naira seizures of foreign rice, petroleum products, second-hand clothing and large quantities of cannabis that were similarly transferred to the NDLEA.

Officials say the sustained pressure is intended to protect local industries, particularly rice farmers and processors, safeguard public health from illicit narcotics, and deny revenue to criminal networks operating across the land border.