The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service has seized goods valued at over ₦3.3 billion after intercepting 144 smuggling operations across its jurisdiction.
The confiscated items include rice, petroleum products, vehicles, illicit drugs, used clothing, vegetable oil, wildlife, and other prohibited or restricted goods, highlighting 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 had moved away from routine and easily anticipated checkpoints in Lagos in favour of flexible, intelligence-driven deployments.
He added that internal oversight mechanisms were strengthened, with measurable performance benchmarks introduced for personnel as part of a broader reform agenda focused on change management, compliance enforcement, and restoring institutional credibility.
Beyond safeguarding the economy, the Customs chief said the unit intensified its crackdown on transnational drug syndicates, seizing 3,029 parcels of a synthetic cannabis variant known as “Ghanaian Loud,” with a total weight of about 1,431 kilogrammes.
He noted that the operation delivered a major blow to illicit drug distribution networks across the Unit’s jurisdiction, coming at a critical time as Nigeria faces escalating banditry, terrorism, and other violent criminal activities.