By Peter Omopo
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Idiroko Area Command, has stepped up border enforcement across Ogun State, deploying intelligence-driven operations to curb smuggling and strengthen national security, public health and electoral stability.
The renewed crackdown comes barely six weeks after Deputy Comptroller Oladapo Afeni assumed duty as Area Controller. Under his leadership, the command has shifted from routine patrols to sustained surveillance of key border communities such as Imeko and Ipokia, which have long been identified as major transit routes for contraband.
Investigations by Customs indicate that several smuggling syndicates operate from neighbouring Benin Republic, using Nigeria as a transit corridor for illicit items including narcotics, arms and ammunition, used vehicles, foreign parboiled rice and second-hand clothing.
Customs officials said recent operations have disrupted established smuggling routes, making them less predictable and more difficult for smugglers to exploit.
A major focus of the intensified enforcement is narcotics trafficking. Although drug control primarily falls under the mandate of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Idiroko Area Command has recorded significant drug seizures in recent weeks.
In January alone, the command intercepted more than 4,260 parcels of cannabis sativa and cannabis indica, compared with about 2,700 bags of foreign parboiled rice seized during the same period. Officials said the figures point to a growing shift towards drug trafficking, driven by high profit margins, ease of concealment and rising local demand, particularly among youths.
Afeni said the emphasis on narcotics enforcement reflects the broader security implications of drug trafficking, noting its strong links to other forms of organised crime. He added that the heightened vigilance is also informed by political developments in neighbouring Benin Republic and Nigeria’s forthcoming elections.
According to him, increased screening at the borders is aimed at preventing the influx of arms and ammunition often concealed as legitimate imports.
Officials of the NDLEA attributed the higher drug seizure figures recorded by Customs to its wider jurisdictional coverage across Ogun State, compared to the agency’s presence at specific border locations. Both agencies, however, affirmed ongoing collaboration in tackling cross-border crime.
The Idiroko Area Command said enforcement operations would be sustained, in line with directives from the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi. Plans are also underway to deepen engagement with border communities and traditional institutions to raise awareness of the economic and social consequences of smuggling, alongside strengthened corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Security surveillance has consequently been intensified along Ogun State’s border corridors as authorities move to dismantle long-standing smuggling networks.
