The Kwara Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted contraband items valued at over ₦478million.

The contrand items seized by the men of the command at various locations in the last two months include 1,107 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 44 bags of imported sugar, 317 jerrycans of petroleum suspected for cross-border smuggling, 120 sacks of illegally mined lithium, and nine vehicles carrying foreign rice.

In the period under review, the Command also intercepted five ‘Tokunbo’ vehicles, over 60 sacks of used clothing, and 222 used compressors.

The acting Customs Area Controller, Najeem Ogundeyi, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing newsmen at the Command’s headquarters in Ilorin, the state capital.

“The duty paid value(DPV) of these seizures stands at N478, 171, 315.00 underscoring the magnitude of the attempted economic sabotage and the level of vigilance exercised by the officers of the command,” Ogundeyi said.

He said the huge seizures within two months underscored the command ‘s determination to curbing smuggling and protect local industries.

Ogundeyi who said that smuggling would no longer be tolerated in the state lamented that : “Some criminal elements continue to engage in economic sabotage, testing our resolve. But let me state unequivocally that unlawful activities are met with firm and intelligence-driven enforcement by our officers.”

He stated that the seizures were part of a broader strategy to support legitimate trade and boost national development.

“The ban on foreign parboiled rice is meant to empower local farmers, create jobs, and strengthen food security. Illegal importation threatens these national objectives and undermines domestic agriculture,” he said.

Ogundeyi also disclosed that Kwara Customs Command generated over ₦2.5billion during the period under review through excise activities.

“This reflects our sustained commitment to government fiscal objectives while ensuring compliance within the excise sector,” he said.