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How Afeni is repositioning Idiroko trans- border trade route for economic prosperity, smugglers nightmare

Funso OLOJO, Editor 

For decades, the Idiroko border corridor has existed at the intersection of legitimate commerce and the informal economy, serving simultaneously as a gateway for legitimate trans-border trade and a lucrative passage for smugglers exploiting Nigeria’s long and porous western frontier.

But that business environment appears to be undergoing a gradual transformation.

At the centre of the emerging change is the Ogun I Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, where the Acting Customs Area Controller, Deputy Comptroller Olukayode Afeni, has adopted a more aggressive intelligence-led enforcement strategy aimed at altering the risk-reward equation that has historically sustained illicit commerce along the corridor.

Afeni’s philosophy is relatively straightforward: legitimate trade should be facilitated, but smuggling, drug trafficking and other forms of economic sabotage must become increasingly difficult, expensive and dangerous.

The latest operational scorecard presented by the Command on Thursday, August 13th, 2026 provides an insight into the scale of that campaign.

The Command paraded seizures with a combined Duty Paid Value of N3.574 billion, covering agricultural products, petroleum products, textiles, consumer goods and narcotics.

Among the intercepted items were 2,339 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 70 cartons of basmati rice, 6,035 parcels of Ghana Loud/Indica, 30 bags of foreign sugar, 11,450 litres of PMS in kegs, 1,750 litres of PMS in drums, 30 kegs of diesel, 100 bags of fertilizer and 67 bales of second-hand clothing.

The seizure list also included thousands of pieces of new clothing, drinks, cosmetics, hair accessories, fire extinguishers, purses and other consumer products.

But the significance of the figures does not lie merely in their monetary value. They provide an indication of the variety of commercial activities that the Command is now confronting along the border—and of the extent to which enforcement is beginning to influence the operating environment for both legitimate traders and illicit networks.

The Idiroko corridor has never been simply a Customs enforcement zone. It is a commercial ecosystem connecting communities and businesses on both sides of the Nigeria-Benin frontier.

For legitimate traders, the border provides access to markets, goods and opportunities for cross-border commerce.

For smugglers, however, the same geography presents opportunities to bypass formal import procedures and exploit differences in prices, taxes, restrictions and market demand between the two countries.
That is where Afeni’s intervention becomes significant.

Rather than viewing seizures as isolated enforcement events, the current strategy increasingly appears designed to disrupt the underlying business model of smuggling.

Every intercepted truck, vehicle, petroleum consignment, rice shipment or narcotics parcel represents not only a seizure but a potential interruption of a supply chain.

The objective is to make illegal trade less predictable and less profitable.

Rice and the economics of local production

Foreign parboiled rice remains one of the most visible commodities in the border enforcement equation.

The interception of more than 2,300 bags in the latest operation reinforces the persistent pressure on domestic rice production from illicit imports.

Afeni’s argument is that smuggling should be viewed through the prism of economic protection rather than merely customs prohibition.

When imported rice enters Nigeria outside the approved channels, it competes directly with Nigerian farmers, millers and distributors without necessarily bearing the same regulatory and fiscal obligations.

For a government attempting to strengthen domestic agricultural production, such competition can undermine investment and discourage farmers from expanding production.

The Ogun I campaign therefore places border enforcement within the broader question of Nigeria’s food-security strategy.
In Afeni’s formulation, protecting the border is also protecting the farmer.

The narcotics economy

If rice represents the agricultural dimension of the border challenge, narcotics represent its darker security dimension.

The Command’s interception of 6,035 parcels of Ghana Loud/Indica in the latest operation is significant, but the larger figure disclosed by Afeni is even more revealing.

From January to date, he said, Ogun I has handed over 32,412 parcels of hard drugs and 92 sacks of raw Cannabis sativa to the NDLEA Idiroko Special Command.

That figure places narcotics enforcement firmly among the Command’s major operational priorities.

It also demonstrates why border security increasingly requires agencies to work beyond traditional institutional boundaries.

Customs officers may intercept the shipment, but the investigation, drug intelligence and prosecution process require the specialised capabilities of the NDLEA and other security agencies.

The formal handover of the seized narcotics during Thursday’s event therefore symbolised the growing importance of inter-agency collaboration in securing the corridor.

The border as an export gateway

Perhaps one of the less discussed aspects of the Ogun I story is the Command’s export performance.

While considerable attention is naturally attracted by seizures, the Command also recorded 10,110 metric tonnes of exports, with a Free On Board value of N2.594 billion.
White talc, crushed thermal coal and CNG were identified as the principal drivers of the export volume.

That statistic is important because it challenges the perception of Idiroko principally as a route for imported goods.
The corridor is also capable of serving as a platform for Nigerian exports.

This creates a potentially important policy distinction. The objective of effective border management should not be to suppress cross-border commerce; rather, it should be to differentiate legitimate commerce from illicit trade and create an environment where compliant businesses can operate with greater certainty.

For Customs, that means enforcement and trade facilitation must move together.

Revenue from the corridor

The Command’s fiscal contribution also offers another measure of its economic relevance.
In July alone, Ogun I collected N90.066 million from baggage assessments, auctions of perishable items, PMS and other charges.

Although the figure is modest when compared with the revenue generated by Nigeria’s major seaport commands, it illustrates the multiple revenue streams available within the border environment.

More importantly, it demonstrates that the border economy extends beyond the conventional importation of goods.

A new risk calculation for smugglers

The central question surrounding Afeni’s tenure may therefore not be how many seizures the Command records in a particular month.

It may be whether the enforcement campaign is succeeding in changing the underlying calculation made by those who contemplate using the Idiroko corridor for illegal trade.

For years, smuggling has survived because its potential returns could outweigh the risks of interception.

That equation changes when intelligence improves, surveillance becomes more effective, inter-agency coordination becomes stronger and seized goods are followed by investigation and prosecution.

Afeni’s repeated warning that the Command intends to make Ogun I “hostile” to smugglers is therefore more than rhetoric.

It represents an attempt to change the commercial environment in which illicit operators make their decisions.
But legitimate trade must remain protected

There is, however, another side to the equation. Idiroko’s importance cannot be measured only by the volume of contraband intercepted.

Thousands of Nigerians depend on legitimate cross-border commercial activity, while manufacturers, exporters, transporters, farmers and traders require an efficient and predictable border environment.

This makes Afeni’s appeal to the media to distinguish legitimate trade from illicit activity particularly important.

An aggressive enforcement regime that succeeds in deterring smuggling but inadvertently discourages legitimate commerce would produce an incomplete outcome.

The real measure of success would be a corridor where legitimate traders face greater certainty while smugglers face greater uncertainty.

That distinction will be critical to the long-term economic impact of the current enforcement drive.

From border enforcement to economic protection

Afeni’s presentation ultimately places the Ogun I Command at the intersection of three major national priorities: security, economic protection and trade facilitation.

The seizure of foreign rice speaks to agricultural protection.
The interception of narcotics speaks to public safety and national security.

The export figures point towards the untapped commercial potential of the corridor.
The revenue figures demonstrate its fiscal relevance.

Taken together, the figures suggest that what is happening at Ogun I is bigger than a succession of seizure announcements.
It is a contest over the character of the Idiroko border economy itself.

Whether the emerging model can permanently shift the corridor from an environment where illicit commerce flourishes to one where legitimate trans-border trade becomes the dominant business model will depend on the sustainability of enforcement, the efficiency of Customs procedures, infrastructure, inter-agency cooperation and the willingness of border communities to support lawful commerce.

For now, however, Afeni appears determined to push the equation in one direction.
Make legitimate trade easier to identify and protect—and make smuggling increasingly difficult to sustain.

That could ultimately prove to be the most consequential change taking place along the Idiroko corridor.

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Customs

FOU ‘A’ seeks stronger security synergy with sister agencies ahead of presidential elections

— as Acting Comptroller Afeni visits Police, Army, DSS, NDLEA, Immigration

Funso OLOJO, Editor 

The Acting Comptroller of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone ‘A’, Ikeja, Lagos, Deputy Comptroller Oladapo Olukayode Afeni, has called for stronger collaboration among security agencies to combat smuggling, cross-border crimes and other threats to national security, particularly as the country approaches another election period.

Afeni made the call during a familiarisation tour of sister security and law enforcement agencies in Lagos, which commenced on Wednesday, October 14, 2026.

The tour took him to the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja; the Department of State Services (DSS); Headquarters, 81 Division, Nigerian Army; the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Strategic Command; the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS); and the 9 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Ikeja.

The visits were aimed at strengthening existing institutional relationships and identifying practical areas of cooperation in intelligence sharing, joint operations, information exchange and the enforcement of relevant laws across Lagos State and the wider operational jurisdiction of FOU Zone ‘A’.

At the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Afeni was received by the Commissioner of Police, CP Tijani Fatai, where he stressed the importance of coordinated security operations in preventing criminal elements from exploiting the election period to undermine public safety.

“We know that crime rates often increase as the country approaches the election period, as some people may attempt to take advantage of the period to perpetrate illicit activities capable of causing crises during the elections.

“Therefore, we are here to call for closer synergy so that these bad elements do not have their way,” he said.

The Customs chief emphasised that the responsibilities of FOU Zone ‘A’ extended beyond border protection to include collaboration with other security institutions in safeguarding national interests.

He noted that no security agency could effectively discharge its responsibilities in isolation, stressing that sustained cooperation was essential to tackling the increasingly complex nature of criminal activities.

Afeni particularly acknowledged the Nigeria Police Force’s intelligence-gathering capabilities, describing effective information sharing and coordinated operations as critical to achieving better security outcomes.

In his response, CP Fatai welcomed the visit, describing sustained engagement among security agencies as an established practice that had contributed to their operational successes over the years.

“In Lagos, we have a very strong and robust relationship with all security agencies, notwithstanding the huge population of the state,” the police commissioner said.

The Customs delegation also visited the Headquarters of the Nigerian Army’s 81 Division, where Afeni was received by the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Major General Adebayo Abdulrahman Babalola.

Babalola underscored the importance of joint operations and inter-agency cooperation in combating criminality, while cautioning against unnecessary administrative bottlenecks that could impede operational effectiveness.

The engagement highlighted the need for security institutions to streamline their operational processes, improve coordination and ensure that bureaucratic procedures do not frustrate timely responses to security threats.

Other agencies visited equally reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining cooperation with the Nigeria Customs Service in the collective effort to combat smuggling and other unlawful activities.

The familiarisation tour underscores FOU Zone ‘A’s commitment to strengthening inter-agency partnerships as a vital instrument for effective enforcement, national security and economic protection.

Beyond combating smuggling and trans-border crimes, the initiative is expected to reinforce efforts to protect government revenue, facilitate legitimate trade and safeguard Nigeria’s broader economic interests through coordinated security operations.

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Customs

Calabar Customs seeks strong collaboration with sister agencies for enhanced security

Gloria Odion,  Maritme reporter 

‎The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Cross River/Calabar Free Trade Zone/Akwa Ibom (CR/CFTZ/AK) Area Command, has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening inter-agency collaboration and intelligence sharing to address security challenges, facilitate legitimate trade and enhance operational efficiency.
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‎The commitment was reinforced during a series of familiarization visits by the Acting Area Controller of the Command, Deputy Comptroller Dr Nkiru Nwala to the leadership of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigerian Correctional Service and the Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday, October 13, 2026.
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‎During the visits, Nwala held discussions with the NSCDC Commandant, C. E. Okarazu; the Controller of Corrections, Nigerian Correctional Service, Aniekan Archibong Nya; and the State Director of the DSS, Dr Faluyi Oluwole.
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‎The engagements provided an opportunity to strengthen existing institutional relationships, establish direct communication channels and explore practical ways to improve cooperation among the agencies following Nwala’s assumption of duty.
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‎The Acting Area Controller emphasised the importance of sustained collaboration among security and law enforcement agencies in tackling common security threats, promoting compliance with relevant laws and protecting the nation’s economic and security interests.
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‎The visits emphasised the importance of intelligence sharing and coordinated operations in tackling security threats, safeguarding national assets and facilitating legitimate trade.
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‎The Command noted that stronger partnerships among the agencies would enhance operational coordination, support the enforcement of relevant laws and contribute to the protection of critical national assets and infrastructure.
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‎The initiative aligns with the Comptroller-General of Customs’ strategic mantra of Consolidation, Innovation and Collaboration, which prioritises strengthening existing partnerships, embracing innovative approaches to operational challenges and promoting effective cooperation among relevant institutions.
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‎The Command reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with sister security agencies to strengthen national security, facilitate legitimate trade and advance the broader objectives of national development.

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Customs

MACI hails Customs’ anti-corruption framework, demands full implementation

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Media Anti-Corruption Initiative (MACI) has applauded the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, for introducing a comprehensive anti-corruption framework aimed at identifying institutional vulnerabilities, strengthening internal controls and promoting integrity across the operations of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

The initiative, which MACI described as a significant milestone in the fight against corruption within the Service, is anchored on three key documents signed by the Customs chief: the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Internal Corruption Risk Analysis and Mapping (ICRAM), the ICRAM Handbook and the Integrity Action Plan (IAP).

In a statement jointly signed by MACI President,  Funso Olojo, and Project Coordinator, Lod Onyeji, the organisation described the development as a “pivotal moment in the fight against corruption within the Nigeria Customs Service.”

Mr Olojo, who commended the initiative of the Customs, noted that the stance of the agency on corruption is in alignment with the aims and objectives of MACI which is an advocate for corruption- free society.

The signing ceremony, held on October 6th, 2026, at the NCS Headquarters in Abuja, also witnessed the inauguration of the ICRAM Steering Committee, which is responsible for identifying, assessing and mapping corruption risks across the Service’s operations.

According to the statement, the framework represents a proactive institutional approach to tackling corruption by identifying vulnerabilities in Customs processes and establishing measures to prevent abuse of office, improve accountability and strengthen public confidence in the Service.

The Comptroller-General, Adeniyi, disclosed that the framework was developed in collaboration with the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and partner administrations, including His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of the United Kingdom.

He explained that the documents provide practical guidance for Customs officers operating at seaports, land borders and airports, equipping them with procedures and controls designed to promote integrity, transparency and accountability in the discharge of their responsibilities.

MACI noted that the introduction of the framework followed a pilot programme conducted across seven Customs Commands and Units, covering 66 processes spanning regulatory activities, core Customs operations and support functions.

The exercise culminated in the development of a comprehensive Integrity Action Plan containing 101 action items and 295 sub-actions designed to address identified corruption risks and strengthen institutional safeguards.

Key measures outlined in the plan include increased automation and improved audit trails, stronger supervisory mechanisms, clearer accountability structures, effective segregation of duties, regular staff rotations and targeted training programmes.

The framework also seeks to strengthen controls governing interactions between Customs officers and stakeholders, an area considered critical to reducing opportunities for corrupt practices and improving compliance with established procedures.

MACI commended the Customs leadership for adopting a risk-based approach to corruption prevention, noting that identifying and addressing institutional weaknesses before they are exploited is essential to building a transparent and accountable public institution.

The organisation, however, stressed that the effectiveness of the initiative would ultimately depend on the consistent implementation of the prescribed measures across all commands and operational units of the Service.

It therefore urged Customs management, officers, stakeholders and relevant partner institutions to support the full implementation of the framework to ensure that the initiative delivers measurable improvements in institutional integrity.

MACI expressed confidence that effective implementation of the ICRAM framework and Integrity Action Plan would strengthen internal controls, reduce corruption risks, promote ethical conduct and enhance public trust in the Nigeria Customs Service.

The organisation emphasised that the new framework should not merely remain a collection of policy documents but should translate into tangible changes in operational practices, staff conduct and the overall culture of accountability within the Service.

 

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