IDIROKO, OGUN — SEPT 17, 2026 — The Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun I Area Command, has declared Idiroko a “no-go area” for smugglers after intercepting 3,893 parcels of cannabis weighing 1.878 tonnes and a brand new 2026 Range Rover Sport worth N417 million.
The Acting Area Controller, Deputy Comptroller Oladapo Afeni, disclosed this on Thursday at the Command headquarters in Idiroko during a press briefing where the seized cannabis was handed over to the NDLEA.
Afeni said the seizures were recorded between August and September 2025, with a total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N2,469,153,523.68,
“One of the highlights of today’s briefing is the seizure of a 2025 Range Rover Sport Autobiography P530 worth Four Hundred and Seventeen Million, Eleven Thousand, Nine Hundred and Eighty-Two Naira,” he said.
Border Under Lockdown
Listing other seizures, Afeni said operatives intercepted 1,204 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 428 pneumatic tyres, 8,675 litres of petrol in kegs, 24 bales of second-hand clothing, four sacks of used shoes and 500 litres of diesel.
He said the Command’s operations were intelligence-led, backed by enhanced inter-agency collaboration and strict regulatory oversight, aimed at suppressing smuggling, securing the border, and facilitating legitimate trade.
“To the perpetrators of economic sabotage and illegal border activities, our message remains unequivocal: Ogun I Command will continue to be a hostile zone for uncustomed goods and illicit trade,” Afeni warned.
“We remain resolute in safeguarding Nigeria’s economic interests and national security.”
He noted the Command also focused on revenue from duty collection, baggage assessment, and physical examinations, while optimising import and export verification for compliant traders.
Collaboration with the Army, Police, Immigration, NDLEA, and traditional rulers and youth leaders in border communities, he said, has helped reduce hostility during operations.
The Command was also champion in volleyball at the Inter-Command Athletic Competitions in August/September 2025.
*NDLEA: “We’ve Made Idiroko No Passage for Drugs”*
Receiving the cannabis, Commander of Narcotics, NDLEA Idiroko Special Command, Akande Oluwafemi, commended Customs for the sustained crackdown.
“Since his assumption of office, we have been having it like this regularly. The numbers of hard drugs coming to the country is becoming alarming,” Oluwafemi said.
“They are probably wishing our country to be dwelling in drugs. It will not happen. We have made Idiroko a no-go area, no passage for drugs. Customs, NDLEA and other sister agencies have joined together to say no to hard drugs.”
Speaking on behalf of NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), Oluwafemi thanked Customs for patriotism.
“NDLEA cannot be everywhere. Where NDLEA has not been, Nigeria Customs Service is there. The Police is there. The DSS is there. What we are witnessing today is synergy.”
He warned that the volume intercepted would have been devastating if it entered the market.
“If this quantity and close to 20 tons they’ve been able to intercept finally get their way into the country, it will not be good news. We have enough that we are battling with. We should not add drugs.”
He urged journalists, religious bodies, workers and border communities to join the campaign: “When we have drugs within our system, we are playing with the future of the country. Look at the number of youths abusing drugs now.”
