Customs intercept explosives, expired noodles, narcotics at Seme Border

The Seme Border Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has conducted a major crackdown, intercepting a significant haul of dangerous and prohibited items. The seizures include explosive materials, expired food products, narcotics, foreign rice, and cigarettes, aimed at curbing smuggling and cross-border criminal activities.

Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila disclosed that intelligence-led operations led to the interception of 1,306 sacks of expired noodles, each weighing 50 kilograms. These products were found to be deteriorating and visibly decomposing, with intelligence suggesting smugglers intended to repackage and relabel them for the Nigerian market. Kaila warned that the success of this smuggling attempt would have exposed countless families to severe health hazards, including food poisoning and gastrointestinal diseases.

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Had this shipment succeeded, countless families would have been exposed to serious health hazards ranging from food poisoning and gastrointestinal diseases to other life-threatening medical complications.

Further interceptions included 1,268 bags of foreign parboiled rice smuggled through illegal routes. On narcotics, the command seized 373 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, 90 packs of Tramaking 250mg, 69 packs of Royal Tapentadol 250mg, and 310,000 sticks of cigarettes. Kaila emphasized the dangerous nature of these products, stating they can destroy lives, fuel criminality, encourage substance abuse, and undermine the future of young people.

In a particularly concerning discovery, 3,300 cartridges of explosive materials were also intercepted. Kaila noted that these explosives could be used to facilitate terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes. The explosives have been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit for safe custody and investigation. Additionally, the command seized vehicles and watercraft valued at N365.1 million. Despite these significant seizures, the command generated N19.8 billion in revenue from January to July 2026, marking a 24.45% increase compared to N15.9 billion in the same period of 2025.

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These are not ordinary commodities; they are dangerous products capable of destroying lives, fuelling criminality, encouraging substance abuse and undermining the future of our young people.