The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’, has confirmed the killing of one of its officers, Assistant Superintendent of Customs Mustapha Akiyode, by suspected smugglers in Ogun State.
Akiyode was fatally shot in an ambush along the Ilara–Ijoun axis in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area in the early hours of Tuesday, February 3.
During a press briefing in Lagos on Friday, the Comptroller of the Unit, Gambo Aliyu, described the incident as “a sobering reminder of the dangers faced by officers engaged in border enforcement.”
Despite the loss, Aliyu said the command has intensified its anti-smuggling operations using a revamped intelligence-driven strategy. This approach has led to 144 interceptions of prohibited and uncustomed goods with a total Duty Paid Value of ₦3.32 billion.
The seized items include:
– 6,954 bags of foreign parboiled rice
– 77 bags of foreign sugar
– 21 used vehicles
– 3,362 jerrycans of vegetable oil
– 20,700 litres of premium motor spirit (PMS)
– 915 bales of used clothing
– 581 used refrigerator compressors (classified as hazardous waste)
– A 20-foot container of stone-coated aluminium roofing sheets
A major breakthrough was the interception of 3,029 parcels of synthetic cannabis indica, weighing 1,431 kilograms. Aliyu warned that drug trafficking fuels violence and instability across the country by providing chemical catalysts that embolden criminals.
“Drug trafficking fuels threats by providing chemical catalysts such as methamphetamine and others that embolden perpetrators, erode morale and destabilise the nation,” he stated.
Eight suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures. The intercepted cannabis has been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and prosecution.
The command reaffirmed its commitment to securing Nigeria’s borders and combating smuggling, despite the risks to its personnel.
