Customs FOU hit smugglers, seizes N3.3bn goods, drugs, eight arrested

By Godwin Oritse & Cynthia Alo

The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service has intensified its anti-smuggling campaign, recording seizures with a duty paid value exceeding ¦ 3.3 billion after intercepting 144 smuggling operations across its jurisdiction.

The seizures, which cut across rice, petroleum products, vehicles, illicit drugs, used clothing, vegetable oil, wildlife and other prohibited or restricted goods, underscore a renewed enforcement drive within the zone.

Speaking on Tuesday in Ikeja, Lagos, the Unit’s Comptroller, Gambo Aliyu, said the results reflect a revamped operational approach built on intelligence-led enforcement, stricter internal controls and sustained pressure on organised smuggling networks.

Aliyu attributed the successes to a comprehensive overhaul of the Unit’s operational framework, noting that the command abandoned routine and easily anticipated checkpoints in Lagos in favour of flexible, intelligence-driven deployments.

He added that internal oversight mechanisms were tightened, with measurable performance benchmarks introduced for personnel as part of a wider reform agenda focused on change management, compliance enforcement and the restoration of institutional credibility.

Beyond safeguarding the economy, the Customs chief said the Unit stepped up its crackdown on transnational drug syndicates, resulting in the seizure of 3,029 parcels of a synthetic cannabis variant known as “Ghanaian Loud,” with a combined weight of about 1,431 kilogrammes.

He said the operation dealt a major blow to illicit drug distribution networks across the Unit’s jurisdiction, coming at a critical time when Nigeria is confronting escalating banditry, terrorism and other violent criminal activities.

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