The Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun I Area Command, has intercepted a luxury passenger bus loaded with military camouflage uniforms and illicit drugs valued at ₦259.68 million along the Sagamu–Ore–Benin Expressway….
The Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun I Area Command, has intercepted a luxury passenger bus loaded with military camouflage uniforms and illicit drugs valued at ₦259.68 million along the Sagamu–Ore–Benin Expressway.
The Acting Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Oladapo Afeni, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Idiroko on Monday, describing the seizure as one of the Command’s major anti-smuggling and anti-narcotics successful operations in recent times.
Mr Afeni explained that the operation was carried out in the early hours of Sunday following actionable intelligence and sustained surveillance by officers of the Command.
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According to him, the unregistered luxury bus was tracked from Lagos through several security checkpoints before it was intercepted at about 1:30 a.m. while heading toward South Eastern Nigeria’s corridor.
Two suspects according to him were arrested in connection with the seizure.
A comprehensive search of the vehicle also uncovered a large cache of military apparel carefully concealed in cartons and hidden compartments.
The seized items included 197 pieces of camouflage trousers and shorts, five complete sets of military camouflage uniforms, 32 camouflage tops, 32 camouflage inner wears, and several other military-related clothing materials.
Customs officers also discovered a substantial quantity of narcotics hidden within the structure of the bus.
The illicit drugs comprised of 154 parcels of synthetic Cannabis Indica, popularly known as “Loud,” and seven parcels of “Colorado,” another high-potency cannabis variant.
Comptroller Afeni said preliminary investigations revealed that the military regalia were intended for distribution to unauthorised individuals, warning that such items in the hands of criminal elements pose a grievousthreat to Nigeria’s national security.
He noted that the illegal circulation of military uniforms enables criminals to impersonate security personnel, thereby facilitating armed robbery, kidnapping, and other violent crimes while undermining public confidence in security agencies.
He stated that “The combination of illicit drugs and military uniforms in a single consignment points to a coordinated criminal network with the capacity to destabilize public order and national security,” .
He credited the successful interception to effective intelligence gathering, inter-agency collaboration, and real-time monitoring of suspicious movements along strategic transport corridors.
The Acting Controller further disclosed that the seized narcotics and related exhibits have been formally handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Idiroko Special Command, for further investigation and prosecution.
Receiving the exhibits on behalf of the NDLEA Commander, Williams Ekundayo, Deputy Commander Ganiyu Adeyooye commended Customs officers for the operation, describing it as a strong demonstration of collaboration among security agencies in combating transnational crime.
Adeyooye assured that the NDLEA would conduct a thorough investigation to identify and prosecute all individuals connected to the consignment and dismantle the trafficking network behind the operation.
The Customs Service reiterated its commitment to intensifying anti-smuggling and anti-narcotics operations across border corridors and urged members of the public to support security agencies with timely and credible information to curb cross-border crimes and threats to national security.
