For years, the Idiroko border in Ogun State has been synonymous with smuggling and illicit cross-border trade. But a new enforcement drive by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is beginning to alter that narrative.
Since assuming office as Acting Customs Area Controller of the Ogun I Command, Oladapo Afeni has intensified intelligence-driven operations that have led to major seizures, a sharp rise in revenue generation and the revival of export activities at the border. This feature examines how Afeni’s leadership is reshaping customs operations at Idiroko and tightening the net around economic saboteurs._
For decades, the Idiroko border corridor in Ogun State has occupied a complex place in Nigeria’s economic landscape. Sitting along one of West Africa’s busiest land routes, the corridor links Nigeria with neighbouring Benin Republic and serves as a critical gateway for trade under the ECOWAS framework.
Yet, alongside legitimate commerce, the area has long been notorious for smuggling networks that exploit the labyrinth of bush paths and creeks dotting the border.
Today, however, the narrative is shifting. Since his appointment as Acting Customs Area Controller of the Ogun I Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Idiroko, Oladapo Afeni has embarked on an aggressive campaign aimed at dismantling smuggling syndicates while restoring legitimate trade at the border.
Through a mix of intelligence-driven operations, strategic patrols and closer collaboration with host communities, the command has intensified enforcement along the corridor, recording seizures worth billions of naira within a short period.
Evidence of the renewed crackdown became clear on March 16, 2026, when Afeni announced that the command had intercepted contraband worth over N1.4 billion within six weeks.
The seizures reflected the wide range of goods trafficked through the corridor. Among the intercepted items were 1,204 bags of foreign parboiled rice, equivalent to two trailer loads, 2,547 parcels of cannabis sativa, and 545 kegs of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) totaling 13,625 litres, roughly equivalent to a tanker load.
Other seized items included 36 cartons of Bardinet syrup, eight packs of perfume oil, 13 used tyres, 50 bags of imported sugar, eight bales of second-hand clothing, 15 sacks of used clothing, five sacks of used ladies’ handbags, two sacks of used footwear and two used vehicles.
For customs authorities, the seizures illustrate the evolving tactics of smugglers who often diversify their cargo in a bid to evade detection.
But beyond economic contraband, the command’s operations also revealed the growing threat of environmental and cultural trafficking.
During one of the operations, officers intercepted four live pangolins, one of the world’s most trafficked endangered species. The animals were subsequently handed over to Green Fingers Wildlife Conservation for protection and rehabilitation.
In another discovery that caught the attention of authorities, officers recovered two antiquities believed to be cultural artifacts being smuggled across the border.
Following expert assessment, the artifacts were transferred to the National Museum at Baptist Girls’ College, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, ensuring their preservation as part of Nigeria’s cultural heritage.
Afeni attributes much of the command’s success to a shift toward intelligence-based enforcement.
Rather than relying solely on routine patrols, the command has increased surveillance of known smuggling routes while strengthening intelligence gathering from border communities.
One such operation occurred on March 11, 2026, when officers acting on intelligence intercepted a truck with registration number APP-740-YD along the Agbara axis.
The truck was found carrying 2,539 kegs of vegetable oil, each containing 25 litres.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the products had been smuggled through the creeks in smaller consignments before being consolidated for transport.
Just days earlier, on March 4, Customs officers intercepted a Sino truck loaded with 4,325 cartons of foreign spaghetti, each weighing 10 kilograms.