By Moses Ebosele, ebosele@hotmail.com –
The Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, Ikeja, under the leadership of Comptroller Mohammed Shuaibu, has impounded goods valued at over N1.5 billion.
In his maiden press briefing on Friday, Comptroller Shuaibu explained that in alignment with the principles of open governance advocated by the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and the management team, “I am excited to share the achievements we have made since I took over the leadership of this unit on April 23, 2025”.
He said: “We have diligently optimized these revenue streams to ensure accurate recovery of funds.
“As of today, we have successfully recovered a total of twenty million, seven hundred and nine-two thousand, three hundred and seventy- two naira, ninety-nine kobo (N20, 792, 372.99) only, through the issuance of demand notices from irregular importation and auction sales of seized petroleum products.
“Since undertaking my role, I have initiated a transformation of our operational strategies, moving away from traditional stop-and-search methods to more intelligence-driven operations that reduce unnecessary delays.
“In a significant achievement in our ongoing battle against illicit trade, our team acted on credible intelligence and successfully intercepted and seized 7X20ft containers filled with various illicit items within the Lagos metropolis preliminary investigations revealed the following contents:
i. MSKU 8551954 – Used tyres and vehicle
ii. SYDU 1479614 = foreign parboiled rice
iii. MSKU 7751689 = foreign parboiled rice
iv. MSKU 798700 = foreign parboiled rice
V. ZCSU 8845072 = New shoes
vi. ZCSU 7055181= New Clothes
vii. PIDU 4258491= New bags
“In the same vein, our renewed efforts have significantly bolstered our strategies to secure Nigeria’s southwestern states borders against economic saboteurs. Within this short period of three(3) weeks, this unit has inflicted substantial losses on these non-state actors through the interception of numerous illegal goods. Notable seizures include:
4,085 bags of foreign parboiled rice, each weighing 50kg—equivalent to seven (7) trailer loads.
15 illegally imported foreign-used vehicles.
82 packs of Tramadol, with 10 sachets per pack.
246 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa.
290 jerry cans of premium motor spirit (PMS)
12 Bales and 4 sacks of used clothing.
“Four (4) suspects were arrested in connection with the various seizures, which have a duty paid value (DPV) of one billion, five hundred and one million, three hundred and twelve thousand, four hundred and twenty-five naira (N1, 501,312,425.00) only.
“The Nigeria Customs Service remains resolute in its efforts to combat smuggling, counterfeit products, and other forms of illicit trade. “These achievements testify to our unwavering dedication to protecting our economy and citizens.
“We will continue to collaborate with sister security agencies and border communities to dismantle the networks engaged in illicit activities”.
The command also handed over seized 246kg of cannabis sativa to the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency ( *NDLEA* ) and tramadol capsules to the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control ( *NAFDAC* ) for further investigation and prosecution.
