Kwara Customs area command generates over N7.9bn between Jan-Aug 2026 — Controller

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kwara Area Command has generated over seven billion, nine hundred and seventy-eight million, three hundred and thirty-eight thousand, thirty-one naira and twenty kobo between January and August 2026.

Speaking during a news briefing in Ilorin on Thursday, the Acting Area Controller for the Kwara Command, Deputy Controller Najeem Akanmu Ogundeyi, said the service intercepted eight consignments, including tramadol, foreign spaghetti, parboiled rice, petroleum products, and two luxury vehicles, with a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N604.33 million.

Ogundeyi added that the seizures cut across different operational corridors in the state, including 3,396 packets of 100mg tramadol valued at N50.946 million, 6,705 cartons of foreign spaghetti worth N201.15 million, 270 bags of foreign parboiled rice valued at N25.245 million, and 6,875 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) with a DPV of N2.75 million.

He noted that the command would not allow the state to become a safe haven or transit route for smuggling activities.

He stressed that the seizures reflected the command’s continued deployment of intelligence-led operations, patrols, and collaboration with other security agencies to tackle illicit cross-border trade.

According to him, “Officers of the command have maintained active surveillance along identified smuggling routes and vulnerable corridors, relying on actionable intelligence and strengthened operational cooperation with sister agencies.”

The items intercepted, he said, also included 80 bales and six sacks of used clothing along the Ogbomoso-Jebba axis, with a DPV of N32.3 million; 14 bags of 5kg Basmati rice worth N350,000 along the Bode-Saadu Expressway; a 2025 Toyota Highlander valued at N214 million; and a 2018 Dodge Charger SXT worth N77.59 million.

Ogundeyi explained that the Dodge Charger was intercepted along the Lagos-Kwara highway at Eyenkorin, while the Toyota Highlander was seized along the Bode-Saadu Expressway.

“The seizure of food products should not be misinterpreted as an opposition by the Nigeria Customs Service to legitimate food availability for Nigerians. Rather, our mandate is to enforce compliance with the laws governing cross-border trade,” he said.

He explained that the movement of goods through unapproved routes, evasion of regulatory checks, or failure to provide the required documentation remained violations that Customs was legally bound to address.

The acting controller added that the illegal influx of foreign food products could undermine government policies designed to encourage local agricultural production, protect domestic investments, and strengthen local value chains.

He said Customs enforcement was also aimed at protecting legitimate traders from being disadvantaged by smugglers who evade established procedures for unlawful profit.

On the public health implications of the seizures, Ogundeyi described the interception of the tramadol consignment as particularly significant, noting that the illegal importation of controlled substances posed serious risks to public safety and national security.

He said the 3,396 packets of 100mg tramadol, valued at more than N50.9 million, underscored the importance of effective border control in preventing unregulated pharmaceuticals from entering the country.

The command also intercepted 6,875 litres of PMS along the Bukuro-Okuta-Chikanda axis, with Ogundeyi saying the action would help prevent the diversion of petroleum products meant for domestic consumption into illicit border markets.

Ogundeyi said the revenue performance demonstrated the command’s commitment to maximising collections for the Federal Government while balancing revenue generation with trade facilitation and national security responsibilities.