The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Western Marine Command, has intercepted 14,100 litres of smuggled Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), 204 bags of foreign parboiled rice and 40 cartons of assorted cosmetic products in separate operations along Lagos waterways.
The seized items, alongside other intercepted goods, have a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦83.124 million.
The Acting Comptroller of the Western Marine Command, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Thomas Jonah, disclosed this during a press briefing at the Command on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.
Jonah said the seizures were recorded during sustained enforcement operations aimed at curbing smuggling and other illicit activities along Nigeria’s maritime borders.
He explained that the first interception occurred on Thursday, November 5, when a joint patrol team comprising officers from Yekeme, Badagry, and the Command Information Patrol intercepted 40 cartons of assorted cosmetic products.
In a separate operation at about 3:45 a.m. on Friday, November 6, the same team intercepted 50 kegs of AGO, each containing 50 litres, totalling 2,500 litres, during a routine patrol along the Akere waterways.
The Acting Comptroller further disclosed that, acting on credible intelligence, the Bar Beach Outstation Team intercepted another 232 kegs of AGO, amounting to 11,600 litres.
The operation also led to the seizure of a fibre boat fitted with a 40-horsepower outboard engine, suspected to have been used in the attempted smuggling operation.
Jonah put the Duty Paid Value of the 204 bags of seized foreign parboiled rice at ₦19.584 million.
He reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to intensifying surveillance, intelligence gathering and enforcement activities across the waterways to curb smuggling.
He also assured residents and stakeholders in coastal communities that the Western Marine Command would continue to strengthen its operational strategies to protect the economy, support local industries and prevent the circulation of unregulated goods.