The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted contraband worth over N5.5 billion along the Lagos–Abidjan corridor and foiled 473 smuggling attempts across the South-West within eight weeks.

Displaying the seized items to journalists yesterday at the Customs Training College in Ikeja, the unit’s Comptroller, Gambo Aliyu, said intensified anti-smuggling operations led to the seizure of 8,794 bags of foreign rice, equivalent to about 15 trailer loads, 22 used vehicles, 1,863 used refrigerator compressors and 328 bales of used clothing.

Other items seized include 31,705 litres of premium motor spirit, 1,188 jerrycans of vegetable oil (25 litres each), 531 cartons of poultry products, 485 used tyres, 69 cartons of spaghetti and quantities of foreign sugar.

Aliyu also said the unit intercepted four cylinders of mercury weighing 80kg each, describing the substance as hazardous and regulated under the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

The comptroller further stated that the unit launched a special anti-drug operation, codenamed Operation Hawk, to disrupt narcotics trafficking networks.

He said the officers seized 3,340 parcels of synthetic cannabis, popularly known as “Ghana Loud”, weighing 1,540kg under the operation.

Aliyu said the seizures were made across Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and Ondo states, with several suspects arrested in connection with the offences.

In a separate operation along the Lagos–Abidjan corridor, customs officers intercepted a Toyota Highlander conveying 6.35kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of N2.35 billion.

He said the suspect, identified as a 71-year-old Nigerian, was arrested.

The comptroller handed over the seized drugs to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and prosecution, while the mercury consignment will be transferred to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).

He added that the unit recovered N97.7 million from underpaid duties between February 3 and April 28, 2026, through demand notices and compliance enforcement.

Aliyu said the total duty paid value of the seized items stood at N5.5 billion, describing it as a reflection of the scale and effectiveness of operations targeting economic saboteurs.

He added that the unit is advancing digital surveillance, including geospatial intelligence, satellite imagery, drone monitoring and predictive analytics, to track smuggling routes and improve enforcement efficiency.