Nigeria Customs Seizes Billions of Naira in Smuggled Goods

In a series of major interdictions this week, the Nigeria Customs Service announced the seizure of billions of naira worth of contraband, including smuggled vegetable oil, illicit drugs, and expired pharmaceuticals, underscoring a nationwide crackdown on illegal imports.

The Federal Operations Unit, Zone C, based in Owerri, intercepted three truckloads of foreign vegetable oil with a Duty Paid Value of 403.5 million naira. Comptroller Bishir Balogun detailed the seizures at a press briefing on Monday, June 15, 2026. The operation, driven by strategic intelligence, led to the interception of one truck along the 9th Mile axis in Enugu State on May 9 and another along the Onitsha-Agbor Highway on June 7. The seized items included 3,310 jerrycans of 25-litre vegetable oil, along with smaller quantities of sunflower oil.

Balogun stated that the illegal importation of foreign vegetable oil violates trade regulations, undermines local industry, and constitutes economic sabotage. He emphasized the service's commitment to enforcing the NCS Act and government policies that prohibit such imports. The seized oil remains in Customs custody pending investigation and legal proceedings.