The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A has arrested four suspects linked to 125 intercepted contraband items valued at over N1.18 billion.

The operation, carried out within six weeks across Ogun, Ondo and Oyo states, was part of intensified efforts to curb smuggling in the South-West.

Displaying the seized goods at the Customs warehouse in Ikeja, Lagos, Comptroller of the unit, Mohammed Shuaibu, said the suspects would be handed over to relevant agencies for further investigation and prosecution.

Shuaibu listed the seizures to include 5,015 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice (equivalent to eight trailer loads), 15 used vehicles, 640 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 431.8kg, and 460 jerrycans of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

Others were 143 bales of used clothing, two jumbo sacks of used shoes, one sack of used clothing, 390 bottles of codeine, 310 foreign-branded drugs, 19 cards of tramadol, 210 used tyres, and a 20-foot container (ONEU 2419369 FTC) containing 752 cartons of calcium lactate intercepted for false declaration.

He explained that the operations were intelligence-driven and aimed at securing the country’s borders, protecting the economy, and safeguarding consumers from hazardous and counterfeit goods.

The comptroller reiterated the unit’s commitment to inter-agency collaboration, adding that the seized pharmaceuticals and cannabis would be handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), respectively.

Shuaibu also restated the enforcement of the Federal Government’s 2016 ban on importing foreign parboiled rice through land borders and warned that “selfish and unpatriotic individuals” who continue to defy the policy would suffer significant losses.

Beyond enforcement activities, he disclosed that the unit recovered N39.27 million in revenue through demand notices issued for import duty shortfalls between September 1 and October 7, 2025

Receiving the seized drugs, Deputy Commander of Narcotics, NDLEA, Nasir Bungudu, commended Customs officers for their vigilance and intelligence in intercepting another shipment of Indian hemp believed to have been smuggled into the country through the sea.

Bungudu also praised Customs’ sustained efforts in the fight against drug trafficking, describing the operations as “dogged and intelligence-driven.” He assured that the NDLEA would continue to strengthen its collaboration with the Customs Service to curb the smuggling of illicit substances into the country, particularly through waterways and land borders.