The Oyo/Osun Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Thursday, September 17, intercepted 573 Nigeria Police Force (NPF) crests and 60 detonating cords during anti-smuggling operations in Oyo state.
The command also seized 92 yards of police camouflage uniform fabric, a pistol, six pistol magazines, a pump-action magazine, 2,012 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice, 550 bags of 25kg foreign parboiled rice, 2,440 wraps of cannabis sativa, 1,150 used tyres, 101 used compressors, 48 packs of 225mg tramadol, used clothing and shoes, 5,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), foreign vegetable oil, sugar, 17 used vehicles, 10 means of conveyance and 10 containers of mercury.
The Acting Customs Area Controller, Deputy Comptroller Wale Moses Adewole, who disclosed this in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, said the interception of the police-related materials raised serious security concerns, noting that the unauthorised possession and movement of security uniforms and insignia could facilitate impersonation or unauthorised access to restricted areas.
He said the seizures had a cumulative Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N4,106,951,689.
Adewole said the interceptions were part of the command’s statutory responsibility to prevent the smuggling of prohibited and restricted goods while protecting national security and the economy.
He also warned about the risks associated with the uncontrolled movement of mercury and other hazardous materials, saying the command would sustain intelligence-driven operations in collaboration with sister security agencies.
On revenue generation, Adewole disclosed that the command generated N65,661,343,026.94 between January and August 2026, representing a 13.88 per cent increase over the N57,656,161,990.24 recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.
He attributed the increase to enhanced revenue collection, trade facilitation, stakeholder engagement and improved compliance.
The Customs Area Controller assured legitimate businesses that the command would continue to balance enforcement with trade facilitation.
He said the seized items had been handed over to officers of the NPF, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) for further processing.
Comments