Maritime Agencies
CUSTOMS: FOU ‘A’ Secured 8 Convictions In 10 Months , Seized Over N747m Contrabands In April.
By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
Acting Controller, Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Deputy Controller Hussein Ejibunu, says publicizing arrests when made has a way of discouraging smugglers and duty evaders from illicit activities even as it encourages law-abiding business people to stay on the path of legitimacy.
Ejubunu stated this in Lagos, Thursday, while giving an update on the Command’s anti-smuggling activities in April 2023.
He observed that it pays for importers, exporters, haulage operators, and their agents to operate within the ambit of the law as doing otherwise places them at risk of losing their investments and facing prosecution as enshrined in the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA).
In April, he pointed out, the Command seized contrabands whose total duty paid value (DPV) stands at N746,157,425. During the period under review too, ten suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures.
“This Unit, through the Federal High Court, had secured eight (8) convictions during the last ten (10) months, while 48 different cases are at various stages of prosecution.”
A breakdown of the seizures made stands thus: 8,309 X 50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice (equivalent of 14 trailer loads), 2,428 X 25 liters of premium motor spirit (PMS) and 221 cartons of foreign frozen poultry.
Others are 486 parcels (262kg) of Indian hemp, 4 units of foreign used vehicles,
111 pieces of used tyres, 10 bales of used clothing and 8 sacks of second-hand shoes.
He explained that the Command’s intelligence machinery coupled with sustained round-the-clock patrols really paid off within the period as the smugglers’ strategy to take advantage of the recent public holidays to carry out their nefarious activities became punctured.
“The smugglers planned to take us unawares during the religious festivities. Our round-the-clock patrols were sustained and backed with intelligence even during the public holidays. Interestingly, the outcome of our unrelenting onslaught against smuggling is the remarkable drop evident in the number of seizures recorded with zero casualties.”
The Acting Controller announced that the Command’s continuous quest to prevent revenue loss through various infractions such as under-valuation, under-payments, and wrong classification led to the collection of the sum of N66,726,153.35 after issuing demand notices (DN) to defaulters.
He reminded the business community that smuggling is not a business, but a crime. He reaffirmed that the Customs has resolved to protect the Nigerian economy.
This resolve will continue to be passionately pursued even as the fight against economic saboteurs must remain at the front burner.
“The perpetrators of these criminal activities are not unaware of what the law says because we have taken enlightenment to them through different ways, including enlisting assistance of traditional rulers,
community leaders and the media. Thus, anyone that puts in his savings or obtains a loan to invest in any illegitimate business will have to contend with the attendant consequences of such choices, when the law will take its natural course.”
No matter the mouth-watering returns people expect to make from smuggling, he explained, they should have it at the back of their minds that they stand the risk of losing their investment, prosecuted and jailed.
Ejibunu acknowledged that the successes recorded by the FOU Zone ‘A’ in the suppression of economic criminality would not have been possible without the deployment of logistics support provided by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali, (Rtd) CFR, and his management team.
Maritime Agencies
Seme Customs Raids Hideouts, Impounds 200 Bags of Smuggled Rice, Collects N2bn 3 Weeks into 2026.
By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
The Customs Area Controller (CAC), Seme Border Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Adewale Adenuga has vowed a continuous raid of the Badagry Roundabout and other notorious points where miscreants assemble and sell smuggled rice.
Just as the Command is taking the fight to smugglers in their routes inside the bush, he explained, it has equally sustained surveillance on other identified distribution points of the smuggled goods in market places.
Consequent upon this, Adenuga disclosed that the anti- smuggling officers of the command raided the selling point of smuggled rice at the Badagry market on January 21st, 2026 where they impounded over 200 bags of smuggled rice.
The CAC disclosed this at Seme Command, Wednesday, while exchanging views with the Tunde Ayodele-led Executive members of the Caretaker Committee of the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) who were on a courtesy visit.
” We have just raided the Badagry Roundabout where these smuggled rice are being assembled and sold.
” We had on several occasions warned them to desist from this act and leave the place.
”We have even asked the Oba of Badagry on my last visit to his palace before his death to appeal to these people to vacate the point of sale of the smuggled rice”
” They will smuggle the rice through the creeks and then will now come to that place and be selling.
”So if you go there now, you’ll see that it has been cleared” Comptroller Adenuga explained.
On revenue generation, he announced that few weeks into 2026, the Seme Command has maintained the high momentum of generation it had in 2025 as it has collected about 2 billion in the first three weeks of the new year. His men and officers, he maintained, are fired up to surpass the revenue figures recorded last year.
It is recalled that Seme Command recorded the sum of N15.6 billion in 2025 with N3.6billion of the total revenue collected in the month of December.
He maintained that with the continuous support of the Comptroller – General, Wale Adeniyi and his management team, Seme border will continue to sustain the momentum that propelled the officers into 2026.
While pledging to cooperate with MARAN on mutually -beneficial programmes Adenuga promised that Seme Command would maintain a steady course on revenue generation and will never ease the step on the anti- smuggling pedal in the new year.
Earlier in his address, MARAN Caretaker Committee Chairman, Mr Tunde Ayodele, congratulated the Controller on his assumption of duties as the head of Seme command, a feat he said was a testament to his rising profile as a committed customs officer and a reflection of the confidence of the management of the NCS in his managerial acumen to head the busiest border command of the Customs.
Ayodele assured Comptroller Adenuga of the support and collaboration of MARAN to ensure that he succeeds in his assignment.
The MARAN Caretaker Chairman noted that the association has noted with keen interest the vibrancy and transformation in the border operations at Seme which Comptroller Adenuga has brought within the short time he assumed duties.
”We are not surprised at the level of transformation and burst of activities you brought to Seme border operations, given your performance trajectory from your previous duty posts, especially at the Apapa Command where you were the unseen hands in the unprecedented revenue generation witnessed at the Customs’ flagship command when you were DC revenue” the MARAN chief recalled.
Meanwhile, the Comptroller- General of NCS, Adewale Adeniyi, has paid a condolence visit to the palace of Oba of Badagry through Comptroller Wale Adenuga.
According to Adenuga, he went to the palace of the late King on January 21st, 2026 on behalf of CGC Adeniyi to commiserate with the people and chiefs of Badagry Kingdom on the death of their first class monarch.
By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
The $1.5 billion Lekki Deepsea Port which commenced operations in April 2023 with a capacity to process about 1.2 million cargoes annually continues to receive commendation for various operational milestones it has achieved within so short a time. Parading the draught of 16.5 metres, the deepest of ports under the superintendence of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), it sits on a 19- hectare land area.
So far, the Lekki Deepsea Port has successfully transhipped over 62,000 twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) to various West African countries; its smart port model is unique in Nigeria while the short turnaround time for vessels stands at just 2 days. The physical layout of the Port has a 2 kilometres breakwater ridge which calms the waves from the harbour with a 9.6 kilometre channel providing the way for the 4 tug boats used by the Port to bring in the large vessels that drop cargoes.
The Port has a 680m quay length, with a breakwater of 2km for the Phase 1 operations. Upon expansion to Phase 2, the quayway will be extended to 1,500m, and the depth will become minus 19.5meters in the near future.
The Port’s development was made possible through a 45-year Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model from the NPA.
The scanners only need about 33 seconds to scan a container as soon as the 5 gantry (ship to shore cranes) have done the usual evacuation. The stacking method follows the 7 wide , 6 heights system. Moving à container from ship to shore takes a maximum of 3 minutes and presently, about 20% of the cargoes are evacuated through barges. The Port’s integrated automated operations makes business easier for port users.
From January to August 2025, the port recorded 88,432 TEU imports, 123,013 TEU exports, 62,581 TEU transshipment moves, 16,925 TEU restows, and 34,710 TEU barge movements with a projection to handle over 500,000 TEUs by end of 2025. Transshipment already represents 38 per cent of total activity, signalling the port’s growing hub status.
Mr Emmanuel Anda, the Lekki Port Manager, has been commended for contributing to improve operational services at the port . This has seen the Port engage in various innovative operational methods involving the transshipment of cargoes. The Port has evolved into a strategic maritime gateway, reshaping the logistics landscape of West Africa and opening new corridors for trade and industrial ambition across the continent.
The port facility includes three container berths, three liquid bulk berths and one dry bulk berth. The dry bulk and liquid terminal operations are in view. The Port is presently operating at about 50% of its designed capacity. Barge operations currently account for 20% of cargo movement, but rail connectivity is essential for long-term efficiency, particularly with the Lekki Free Zone’s industrial activities.
Lekki Port’s technological design integrates automated gates, OCR systems, ship-to-shore cranes, rubber- tyred gantry cranes, FS 6000 drive-through scanners, truck parks, and advanced control systems.
Its berth productivity averages 18 to 20 moves per hour, with truck turnaround time at approximately 45 minutes and container dwell time at 12 to 13 days. The Port is currently Nigeria’s second-largest terminal.
In agreement with the NPA, Mr Emmanuel Anda, Lekki Deepsea Port’s Manager, admits that the transformational impact has recalibrated West Africa’s maritime geography.
“For the first time, Nigeria is handling ultra-large vessels efficiently; Lekki is deepening Nigeria’s presence on global shipping routes and strengthening our maritime competitiveness. He said that the port was significantly boosting export activity, helping Nigeria approach a healthier balance of trade.
”The continued progression could see Lekki become a global export hub within 10 to 15 years”. Mr. Anda added.
Road infrastructure upgrades are ongoing, and the planned Lagos Green Line rail connection will significantly boost cargo evacuation and accessibility.
In the wider West African theatre, where the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is opening unprecedented opportunities, Lekki Deep Sea Port offers something rare: scale, speed and unmatched efficiency.
Amid capacity constraints in neighbouring countries and rising demand for deep-water logistics, Lekki gives Africa a competitive edge. On an ordinary day, containers rise like a new skyline, cranes swing rhythmically over the quayside, and massive ships glide into position. Beneath the mechanical precision is something more profound: a new economic centre is being born on the Nigerian coastline.
Presently, exports are surpassing imports, there is free-flowing cargo movement in and out of the seaports and Dangote Refinery, plus port automation—including marine operations like the 4 tugboats and efficient barging—the story centres on seamless activities within the pilotage district.
With great enthusiasm, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola has said the Federal Government estimates that more than 170,000 direct and indirect jobs would be created over the 45-year concession period including revenue contributions of 158 billion dollars, alongside 361 billion dollars in GDP impact from the project.
Maritime Agencies
OGUN AREA 1 CUSTOMS: Suspected Armed Drug Traffickers Mount Barricades, Attack Officers. Two Personnel Critically Injured.
By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
The Ogun Area 1 Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has confirmed
a violent attack on its officers by suspected armed drug traffickers during an anti-smuggling operation at Akokoro area of Iwoye, Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State, on Thursday, 22 January 2026, at about 1600 hours. Zakari Chado, the Ogun Area 1 Command image maker stated this in a release, Sunday.
The incident, he explained, occurred while officers of the Command, acting on 1credible intelligence, intercepted a 12-tyre truck suspected to be conveying a large consignment of illicit drugs and other prohibited items. Before reinforcement teams could arrive, the suspects mobilised a large number of armed hoodlums and launched a coordinated attack on the patrol team.
In a deliberate effort to obstruct law enforcement, the attackers mounted heavy barricades at about nine (9) strategic points to block access routes, preventing timely reinforcement. They opened fire on the officers and disabled a Customs patrol vehicle by shooting out its tyres, creating a volatile and dangerous operational environment.
During the exchange, two officers of the Nigeria Customs Service sustained gunshot injuries and are currently in critical condition, receiving intensive medical care. Exploiting the multiple barricades, the smugglers fled the scene with the intercepted truck. Investigation has commenced to identify, track, and apprehend all those involved in the attack.
Reacting to the incident, the Acting Customs Area Controller of the Ogun I Area Command, Deputy Comptroller Olukayode Afeni, condemned the act as barbaric and reaffirmed that such violent resistance will not deter the Command or the Service from discharging its statutory mandate to combat smuggling and protect national security.
He further called on traditional rulers and community leaders within the Command’s area of responsibility to caution their subjects against smuggling and attacks on security personnel, warning that offenders will face the full weight of the law.
The Acting Customs Area Controller assures law-abiding members of the public of their safety and reiterates the Nigeria Customs Service’s unwavering commitment to border security, public health, and the enforcement of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.
Seme Customs Raids Hideouts, Impounds 200 Bags of Smuggled Rice, Collects N2bn 3 Weeks into 2026.
Lekki Deepsea Port: The Success Story of the Nigerian Ports Authority.
OGUN AREA 1 CUSTOMS: Suspected Armed Drug Traffickers Mount Barricades, Attack Officers. Two Personnel Critically Injured.
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