PICTORIAL: Customs Seizes ₦344m Arms, Cannabis In Ogun, Reaffirms Border Security Commitment

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ogun 1 Area Command, has reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s borders against economic sabotage and security threats.

Speaking during a press briefing on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at the Command’s headquarters in Idiroko, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Godwin Otunla, declared that the Command had intensified surveillance and strengthened collaboration with other security agencies and community stakeholders since he assumed office on April 24, 2025.

“We intensified surveillance, deployed strategic intelligence, and strengthened collaboration with security agencies and community stakeholders to enhance border operations,” Otunla stated. “These deliberate efforts have yielded remarkable results.”

According to the Comptroller, officers of the Command recently intercepted and seized a wide range of prohibited items, including 1,037 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, 2 Dane guns, 88 rounds of live cartridges, 13,125 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 2,627 bags (50kg) of foreign parboiled rice, 4 foreign-used vehicles, 7 means of conveyance, and 29 used pneumatic tyres. The total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seizures was estimated at ₦344.85 million.

The seizures were made across strategic flashpoints in Ogun State including Lusada/Afo-Odo, Abule Kazeem/Igbo-Ora, Abeokuta, Imeko, Idiroko/Owode, and Ipokia, areas long known for high smuggling activity.

On revenue performance, the Command recorded a significant boost in earnings, generating ₦42.28 million in May 2025, up from ₦10.62 million in April. Comptroller Otunla attributed the increase to heightened compliance among stakeholders, enhanced trade facilitation, and efforts to plug revenue leakages.

In a demonstration of inter-agency cooperation, the seized cannabis, arms, and ammunition were officially handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Nigeria Police.

The Commander of Narcotics, NDLEA Ogun State, Ekunlayo Williams, who received the items, praised the Customs Service for its proactive stance in curbing transborder criminal activities. “This handover is a testament to the strong operational synergy between Customs and the NDLEA,” he said. “It’s also a warning to transborder traffickers — if NDLEA misses you, Customs will. It’s no longer business as usual.”

The Command assured the public of its continued vigilance and pledged to sustain its enforcement momentum through intelligence-driven operations and robust collaboration with relevant agencies.

Comptroller Otunla reiterated the Command’s zero-tolerance stance against smuggling, illegal arms trafficking, and drug distribution, urging communities to support the Customs in securing Nigeria’s economic integrity and national security.

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