The Nigeria Customs Service has smashed a transborder smuggling ring operating along the Seme border axis of Lagos State.
The gang, which specialized in smuggling expired rice, flour, vehicles, and other prohibited items into the country, was ambushed by Customs officials attached to the Seme border command, and goods worth over N1billion were said to have been seized from the gang.
The Area Controller of the Seme Command, Wale Adenuga, disclosed this yesterday, while showcasing the seized items to reporters.
Customs officials, Adenuga said, monitored the gang for over two weeks before the clampdown, resulting in the seizure of 10,000 bags of expired flour and several other prohibited items from the gang.
The Seme Customs Command, he said, had to deploy more officers in dealing with the large consignment of prohibited goods seized from them.
He said the massive haul, valued at over ₦1 billion, was the result of weeks of intensive surveillance and coordinated enforcement along the Seme axis.
According to Adenuga, officers of the command intercepted not only the expired flour but also a variety of other contraband, including smuggled vehicles, bags of foreign parboiled rice, drums of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), bales of used clothing, and consignments of Indian hemp.
He explained that the expired flour, which had been carefully concealed in trucks and warehouses, posed a significant public health risk had it entered the Nigerian market.
“We will not allow expired or substandard goods to find their way into our country and endanger our citizens,” he declared.
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The Comptroller stated that the seizure aligns with the Service’s broader mission of curbing smuggling activities that undermine national economic growth and public safety.
He emphasised that the fight against economic sabotage remains a top priority for the Service.
Adenuga, who described smuggling as an act of sabotage against the nation’s economy, warned that those who continue to indulge in the illicit trade will face the full weight of the law.
“Smuggling is not only a crime; it is an assault on our economy and on legitimate businesses that pay taxes and abide by the law,” he said.
He also commended the synergy among various security agencies, crediting inter-agency cooperation for the success of the operation.
According to him, the collaboration between the Customs Service, the Nigerian Navy, and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) played a vital role in tracking, intercepting, and confiscating the illegal consignments.
The command, he revealed, also generated ₦1.5 billion in revenue for the month of September 2025, reflecting both the improved compliance level of traders and the command’s intensified vigilance at the border.
He said the anti-smuggling drive of the Customs was part of the government’s move to protect the economy and prevent the influx of prohibited goods.
Adenuga, however, reaffirmed that the Seme Area Command remains fully committed to the Nigeria Customs Service’s mission of facilitating legitimate trade while firmly tackling economic crimes that threaten the well-being of Nigerians.
@The Nation.