The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adamawa and Taraba Area Command, has seized petrol, foreign parboiled rice, foreign soap and other smuggled goods worth ₦79.86 million in Adamawa State.
The Area Comptroller, Mohammed Tako, disclosed this during a press conference in Yola on Friday, October 23, 2026, explaining that the seizures were made during intensified anti-smuggling operations across identified smuggling routes and hotspots in the command.
Tako said the operations were part of the service’s efforts to protect the Nigerian economy, prevent illegal trade and promote legitimate business activities in line with international best practices.
According to him, officers recently discovered 451 cartons of foreign bar soap hidden in a bush along the bank of the River Benue. The items were allegedly being prepared for illegal movement into Nigeria before the suspected smugglers abandoned them and fled upon sighting the officers.
“In the face of the swift intervention of our officers, the suspects abandoned the contraband and fled into the bush,” Tako said.
He explained that another operation led to the discovery of 374 jerrycans of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), each containing 25 litres, along a bush path in Sahuda, near the Nigeria-Cameroon border, in the early hours of August 20, 2026.
The comptroller added that on September 14, 2026, at about 8:10 p.m., officers intercepted a Mitsubishi Canter truck with registration number XB 566 GML along the Wuro Alhaji-Maiha route.
The vehicle was reportedly carrying 116 bags of foreign parboiled rice, each weighing 50 kilogrammes, and 50 cartons of foreign soap. The interception followed credible intelligence received by the command.
Tako further disclosed that officers discovered 299 jerrycans of PMS, each containing 25 litres, along an unapproved route on the Belel-Goshidan axis on September 21, 2026, at about 2:45 a.m. He said the petroleum products were allegedly intended to be smuggled out of the country.
He also revealed that on October 2, 2026, at about 6:00 a.m., customs operatives seized additional goods along a bush path on the Maiha-Mubi axis following actionable intelligence.
The items included 150 bags of foreign parboiled rice weighing 50 kilogrammes each, 20 bags of locally produced maize weighing 100 kilogrammes each, 11 bales of second-hand clothing and five jumbo sacks of used clothes. The goods were allegedly being prepared for onward smuggling.
Giving a breakdown of the seizures, Tako said the command recovered a total of 673 jerrycans of PMS, amounting to 16,825 litres, 501 cartons of foreign bar soap, 266 bags of foreign parboiled rice weighing 50 kilogrammes each, 11 bales and five jumbo sacks of second-hand clothing, as well as one Mitsubishi Canter truck allegedly used to transport the goods.
He put the total Duty Paid Value of the seized items at ₦79,857,500.
The comptroller said the seizures were carried out in accordance with the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, particularly Sections 150, 233, 245, 246 and 248, as well as Schedule 3 of the Common External Tariff, which contains the list of prohibited imports.
Tako urged traditional rulers, community leaders and residents to support the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies by providing useful information and cooperating with officers in the fight against smuggling.
He stressed that collective efforts were necessary to curb illegal trade, protect local industries and promote the country’s economic development.
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