By Stephen Ubanna
It is not unexpected at what Compt. Mohammed Salisu Shuaibu, with the support of other security agencies personnel, particular, the Department of State Service, DSS, and Directorate of military Intelligence, DMI, are doing to combat the activities of smugglers operating between the neighbouring country of Republic of Benin and Nigerian, through Ogun, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, home state, described as the haven for smugglers.
A senior Customs officer who spoke to the Value News online Magazine, on condition of anonymity, had said that virtually every part of the south western state, particular, Ipokia, Imeko-Afon, Ogun Waterside, Yewa North and Yewa South Local Government Areas, are used by the smugglers to carry out their nefarious activities.
Going by the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, under the close watch of Kemi Nana Nandap, Map, there are about 94 illegal routes in Ogun state alone, which was said to have given the Ogun I, Command, Idiroko, and the Federal Operation Units, FOU, Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos, patrol team officers, much job to do.
Compt. Bello Ahmadou Shuaibu , a former Area Controller of the Ogun I, Command and now overseeing FOU, Zone B, Kaduna, which covers the anti-smuggling operations in the north western states of Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa, Kano and the north central states of Kwara, Niger, Kogi, Nasarawa, Benue and Plateau, may have set the pace to deal decisively with the smugglers in the porous Ogun state by taking the anti-smuggling war to their illegal Warehouses in the bush.
Compt. Mohammed Salisu Shuaibu, Coordinator of the defunct Comptroller General of Customs CGC, Task Force, Lagos Zonal office, may have continued from where the FOU, Zone B, Kaduna, Area Controller, had stopped when he was still at the helms of affairs of the Command.
Guided by how he had managed the affairs of the defunct CGC, Task Force, Zone A, Lagos, with a responsibility of covering the anti-smuggling activities in the six south western states of the Federation, from the inset was said to have stamped his foot down to give the smugglers a battle of their life without shedding of blood.

Aware that motorcycle is the major means of conveyance used by the smugglers to carry their smuggled Asian countries of Thailand, par boiled rice and Indian agricultural par boiled rice, from their location in the bush to their dump ground, and acting on information and intelligence, had trailed them to such locations where they have evacuated the prohibited items without any exchange of bullet.
An informed source told the online Magazine that the Command Patrol teams at every location in the state, acting out the script of the Area Controller, who is working, according to the instructions of Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, the Customs Comptroller General were said to have moved to the site to evacuate the smuggled goods, with little or no resistance.
Many believes that close monitoring of the Patrol teams and officers at the various checkpoints in the state by Ibrahim Yusuf, a Deputy Comptroller, DC, overseeing the Command Enforcement Unit, to ensure that the right thing is done may have forced the various patrols teams and Surveillance teams at the border locations to struggle to make spectacular seizures to win the Area Controller’s ears.

A visitor to the Command premises at Idiroko, recently, would be surprised that the whole area was littered with seized Contraband goods ranging from foreign rice, Vehicles used for conveyance of the rice, Cannabis Sativa, popular, Indian Hemp and bags of Cutlasses. The Contraband items were said to have been intercepted by the Command for much of January, 2025. That much was confirmed by the Ogun I, Area Controller, on Monday, January 28, 2025.
The Customs Comptroller had disclosed that the seizures which was made by the Command from January 1, 2025 to January 27, 2025, include 2,002 bags of foreign smuggled par boiled rice of 50Kg, each, I,800 pieces Cutlasses, 6,635 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, popular, petrol, in local parlance.
This is in addition to 780 parcels of coconut- sized, 225 parcels of book-sized and 160 parcels of bread-sized Cannabis Sativa, popular, Indian Hemp, allegedly grown from Ghana and other West African countries.
An elated Compt. Shuaibu, who was very much appreciative of the support of the Comptroller General and his Management Team to the Command had said that the Contraband seizures ‘’underscores their unwavering commitment to the service’s core mandate of revenue generation, ‘anti-smuggling and trade facilitation’’.
Valuation experts had put the Duty Paid Value, DPV, of the seized Contraband items, excluding the seized Cannabis Sativa, at N77,476,185.00. Giving reasons why no value was attached on the Cannabis Sativa drug that was seized by the Command, the Customs Comptroller, noted that the Command was silent on the DPV, of the Cannabis Sativa, to forestall other smugglers who may see it as very lucrative from ‘’venturing into the business’’.
Compt. Shuaibu, who could not hide his feelings was said to have sounded it loud and clear to those that cares to listen that the Command is determined ‘’to curtail smuggling activities and enforce Compliance with Customs regulations’’.

The Customs Comptroller may have taken advantage of showcasing the seized Contraband items to the public on January 28, 2025,’’ to handover the intercepted and seized Indian hemp drugs to Adeoye Segun, of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Special Command, Idiroko, for further investigations and destruction’’.
Recall that in 2024, the Command, which was said to have had two previous Area Comptrollers, before Compt. Came on board, last December, had made a cumulative Contraband seizures of 16,712, bags of rice of 50 Kg each, 940 rounds of live ammunition, allegedly seized around the Imeko-Afon axis, 586 Bales of used clothing, 18, units of foreign used vehicles, 86 units of vehicles used as means of Conveyance of seized foreign rice and other items , 2,150 pieces of theumatic tyres, 760 pieces of donkey skin, 3,766 cartons of poultry products, and 85 bags of foreign flour, with a DPV, of N1,267,504,035.00.
Enough on the Ogun 1, Command, anti-smuggling smuggling operations for 2024 and January, 2025.We turn to the Command’s revenue generation in 2024. The former Area Controller of the Command, Compt.James Ojo, now retired, who was said to have set up a structure to improve on the Command’s monthly revenue collection by reaching a deal with the Beninois Customs Authorities appears to have achieved his heart desires.
This is evident going by the Command cumulative revenue generation in 2024. Compt. Shuaibu had confirmed that that the Command had collected a total sum of N275,835,4006.00, which was said to have been paid into the Federation Account.
According to him, the amount was collected through baggage assessment, proceeds from the sales of seized gallons of 25 litres each of PMS, to the public, and E-Auction vehicles.