The Nigeria Customs Service has released a comprehensive list of items seized during its Q1 2025 operations.
According to the list, rice was the most seized commodity, with over 135,474 bags seized in 159 operations. The bags of rice are valued to be worth about N939 million.
The second most seized item was petroleum products, where 61 operations led to the confiscation of 65,819 litres valued at about N43 million.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, shared this list in his speech at a press briefing in Abuja to share the customs activities for the first quarter of the year.
He said;
The service had explained that smuggling fuel out of the country was becoming rampant because the smugglers bought the product at N850 per litre in Nigeria to sell for up to N2,000 per litre in neighbouring countries.
The Comptroller-General (CGC) disclosed that the service has intensified efforts to combat drug trafficking, and within January to March 2025, there were 22 operations to intercept narcotics valued at about N730 million.
The PUNCH reports that three high-value wildlife products were also seized, to the tune of about N6.6 billion. This, according to the Customs Boss, is indicative of the lucrative nature of this illegal trade.
Also among the seized items are;
Adeniyi noted that these impressive results came from enhanced border surveillance, collaborations with both local and international agencies and partners, the execution of intelligence-led operations and deployment of advanced technologies to protect the nation’s revenue.
The Comptroller General added that other significant milestones were achieved in the period under review.
These include the implementation of the new customs clearance platform, B’Odogwu, and the expansion of Customs formations and operations to several new regions in the country.
In related TimesNow.com.ng news, the Nigeria Customs Service explained the reason behind fuel smuggling in Nigeria.
The service noted that petroleum products including fuel and diesel are cheaper in Nigeria, thanks to the federal government interventions and reforms.
The smugglers thus seek to take advantage of the situation by buying it cheaply in Nigeria to sell in those neighbouring countries, even at the risk of creating artificial scarcity in Nigeria.
Source: TimesNow.com.ng
