The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Area Command, intercepted five trucks carrying 2,800 bags of smuggled foreign parboiled rice, with a duty-paid value of ₦919.5 million, as part of operations to curb illicit trade along the Nigeria-Benin Republic border.
The seizures, announced on July 24, 2025, by Customs Area Controller Timi Bomodi during a press briefing, included additional contraband like 1,319 bags of rice, 100 jerry cans of petrol, and 13 vehicles, bringing the total value to over ₦1.2 billion, as reported by Nairametrics.
Bomodi highlighted the command’s intensified efforts to combat smuggling, driven by intelligence-led operations, amid Nigeria’s ban on rice imports through land borders to boost local production.
The operation also led to the arrest of 12 suspects, who are under investigation, with Bomodi emphasizing zero tolerance for smuggling and economic sabotage. “We will continue to intercept smuggled goods and ensure compliance with import regulations,” he said.
The seizures reflect ongoing challenges at the porous Seme border, where smugglers exploit unapproved routes, as noted in prior NCS reports. The confiscated rice, primarily sourced from Benin Republic, underscores Nigeria’s struggle to enforce its 2016 rice import ban, with the NCS vowing to sustain patrols and collaborate with other agencies to protect the economy.
