By Oluwatoyin Adegoke
The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Ogun I Area Command, has intercepted 1,202 kegs of smuggled vegetable oil valued at ₦120.2 million in two intelligence-led operations conducted on March 19 and 24, 2026.
The Command said the seizures were part of sustained efforts to curb smuggling and protect local vegetable oil producers from unfair competition.
The Command noted that the latest interceptions followed earlier seizures of 2,539 kegs of vegetable oil on March 11, 2026 and 2,090 kegs on December 16, 2025,
In a related development, Customs officers also intercepted 285 sacks of mica stones, weighing 50 kilograms each and valued at ₦104.7 million, during an anti-smuggling operation.
The seized minerals were subsequently handed over to the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development at the Command headquarters in Abeokuta.
Speaking during the handover, the Acting Customs Area Controller of Ogun I Command, Oladapo Afeni, said the illegal export of solid minerals undermines government revenue and poses threats to national security, while reiterating the Command’s commitment to working closely with relevant agencies to enforce mining and environmental regulations.
Receiving the items on behalf of the Ministry, Engineer Ojediran Olubumi commended the Command for its vigilance and professionalism, adding that the recovered mica would undergo further geological analysis and be incorporated into the national mineral database.
Edited by Adetutu Adetule
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