Comptroller Afeni taking journalists round the seized items.
The Ogun I Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) under the helms of Comptroller Afeni, O.O. has handed over seized cannabis sativa, arms and ammunition to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCOSALW), following a series of intelligence-driven anti-smuggling operations along the Idiroko border.
The handover ceremony, which took place on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at the Idiroko border, was presided over by the Acting Customs Area Controller, Comptroller O.O. Afeni, who also used the occasion to highlight the command’s operational achievements in 2025 and early 2026.
Addressing journalists, the Controller disclosed that the command generated and remitted a total of ₦454.67 million to the federation and non-federation accounts in 2025, representing a 47 percent increase over the ₦275.83 million collected in 2024. He attributed the growth to improved enforcement, officers’ diligence and the cooperation of compliant traders.
He further revealed that the command has sustained its revenue momentum in 2026, generating ₦106.27 million between January 1 and January 28, an 84.3 percent increase compared to ₦89.58 million recorded within the same period last year.
According to him, the revenue was realised mainly through baggage assessments and proceeds from auction sales of seized Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
On anti-smuggling operations, the Controller said the command recorded 487 seizures in 2025 with a total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦4.13 billion, compared to ₦1.79 billion in 2024, marking an increase of over ₦2.33 billion.
Items seized in 2025 included 22,725 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 2,669 kegs of PMS, 13,332 parcels of cannabis sativa, 2,128 rounds of cartridges, 1,315 explosives, foreign used vehicles, used clothing, tyres, narcotics, arms and ammunition.
He described the interception of explosives and live ammunition as particularly significant, noting that such items are listed under Schedule 4 of the Absolute Prohibition List of the Nigeria Customs Service Common External Tariff.
“If these explosives and over two thousand rounds of live ammunition had found their way into wrong hands, the consequences would have been devastating, especially against the backdrop of insecurity in the country,” he warned.
The Controller also disclosed that between January 1 and January 29, 2026, the command recorded additional seizures with a DPV of ₦721.45 million, including smuggled rice, cannabis sativa, used tyres, PMS, locally made rifles, cartridges, vehicles, pharmaceutical products and traditional artefacts.
He said the seized traditional carvings would be subjected to expert appraisal, stressing that the command would not tolerate the trafficking of antiquities and cultural heritage items.
As part of inter-agency collaboration, the command handed over 3,623 parcels of cannabis sativa to the NDLEA, Idiroko Special Command, while arms and ammunition—including cartridges, explosives, dane guns and pistols—were transferred to the NCCOSALW South West Zone.
Suspected unregistered drug products were also handed over to NAFDAC for further investigation.
The Controller expressed concern over the rising incidence of narcotics smuggling, noting that while 56 drug-related seizures were recorded in 2025, the command has already intercepted 10 narcotics seizures within the first 29 days of 2026.
Comptroller Afeni with some of the seized arms.
He also condemned recent attacks on Customs officers by smugglers in the Akokoro area of Imeko, where officers were reportedly shot at and patrol vehicles damaged, warning that such actions would no longer be tolerated.
“No amount of intimidation or threat will deter us from performing our statutory duties as provided in the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023,” he declared.
The Acting Area Controller commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi ( PhD), for his leadership and support, and praised officers of the command for their professionalism and resilience.
He called on traditional rulers, community leaders and the general public to support Customs by discouraging smuggling and providing credible intelligence to security agencies.
“As we move forward in 2026, Ogun I Area Command remains resolute in protecting the economy, securing our borders and facilitating legitimate trade for national development,” he said.
All the seized items were handed over to the relevant agencies; NAFDAC,NDLEA,and the NCCOSALW.
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