Nigeria Customs Seizes 12 Trucks of Rice, ‘Ghanaian Loud’, Other Items Worth Billions
- The Nigeria Customs Service seized prohibited goods worth N3.32 billion across Lagos and nearby areas
- Items intercepted include foreign rice, synthetic drugs, used vehicles, PMS and used clothing
- Customs said the seizures followed intelligence-led operations and a restructured patrol strategy
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Oluwatobi Odeyinka is a business editor at Legit.ng, covering energy, the money market, technology and macroeconomic trends in Nigeria.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’, Ikeja, has intercepted prohibited items valued at N3.32 billion across Lagos and neighbouring areas, The Nation reported.
The seizures, which include thousands of bags of foreign rice and a large consignment of synthetic drugs, were announced by the Area Controller of the unit, Aliyu Gambo, during a media briefing in Lagos.
Source: Twitter
According to Gambo, the interceptions were the result of intelligence-led operations following a reorganisation of patrol strategies and enforcement methods by the unit.
He explained that the command recorded a total of 144 seizures after adjusting its operational approach, moving away from predictable checkpoints to targeted deployments across the Lagos metropolis and its environs.
Items seized by customs
The seized items include 6,954 bags of foreign parboiled rice, equivalent to 12 trailer loads, 77 bags of foreign sugar, 21 used vehicles, 3,362 jerrycans of foreign vegetable oil, and 20,700 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
Other intercepted goods listed by the Customs boss are 915 bales of used clothing and a 20-foot container loaded with stone-coated aluminium roofing sheets.
Gambo also disclosed a major interception of 3,029 parcels of synthetic drug, popularly known as “Ghanaian Loud,” with a combined weight of about 1,431 kilogrammes.
Customs boss says drug peddling fueling crimes
He noted that the operation disrupted criminal supply chains that contribute to insecurity, adding that drug peddling plays a role in fuelling crimes such as banditry and terrorism.
The Area Controller further revealed that the unit lost one of its officers in the line of duty earlier in the week, a development he said had been formally reported to the Customs high command.
In addition to the economic seizures, the command recorded environmental and wildlife-related interceptions, including the rescue of four live pangolins along Alapa Creek, Ajilete, which were handed over to the Wildlife Conservation Centre.
Customs officers also seized 581 used refrigerator compressors concealed in a vehicle. Gambo said the items pose environmental and public health risks due to hazardous substances and greenhouse gas emissions, adding that the seizure was in line with the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, and the Basel Convention on hazardous waste.
Source: UGC
8 suspects arrested by Customs
He disclosed that eight suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures and are currently under investigation.
According to him, the intercepted 'loud' will be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and prosecution, in line with inter-agency collaboration.
Beyond seizures, Gambo said the unit recovered N36.89 million through demand notices issued over cargo misdeclaration and other trade compliance violations between December 10, 2025, and the time of the briefing.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Customs Service to tackling smuggling, trans-border crimes and economic sabotage while facilitating legitimate trade through intelligence-driven operations and cooperation with other security agencies.
Customs hands over seized materials to NAFDAC
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Nigeria Customs recently handed over expired raw materials that were seized to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The consignment handed over to NAFDAC was a 20-foot container carrying 440 bags of expired raw materials, each weighing 25 kilograms.
The goods, worth N36.5m, were intercepted by the NCS during routine cargo checks at the Kirikiri terminal in Lagos
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
