Customs clamps down on vegetable oil smugglers, illicit trade

By Ramadan AbusiOdumare

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has gone rough on smugglers of vegetable oil and intensified efforts to combat the smuggling of other prohibited items into the country, with plans to launch intelligence-driven special operations aimed at protecting local investments, preserving jobs, and supporting the growth of the agricultural value chain.

The Comptroller-General of the Service, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this, during a meeting with stakeholders in the vegetable oil industry at the Service Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja.

The CGC said the Service remains committed to tackling smuggling through strategic enforcement, intelligence gathering, and stakeholder collaboration. He noted that Customs and operators in the vegetable oil sector share a common objective of protecting legitimate businesses, encouraging investment, and strengthening the national economy.

Adeniyi explained that addressing smuggling requires sustained cooperation between government agencies and the private sector, particularly in sectors that contribute significantly to employment generation and economic development.

He also called on stakeholders to support enforcement efforts by providing credible intelligence on smuggling routes and illicit trade activities.

“Fighting smuggling is a continuous process that requires intelligence, policy support and collaboration. We value constructive engagement with stakeholders and will continue to strengthen our partnership with the private sector,” he stated.

The Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation, Timi Bomodi, also highlighted the Service’s achievements in curbing the illegal importation of vegetable oil products.

Bomodi disclosed that the Service recorded several seizures across key border corridors and assured stakeholders that surveillance would be intensified in vulnerable locations.

“We recorded about 65 seizures of vegetable oil products in 2025 and another 23 seizures in 2026, with a combined Duty Paid Value of approximately N1.314 billion,” he said.

He noted that many of the seizures were made along major smuggling corridors, including Seme and Idiroko, adding that surveillance would also be strengthened in other identified vulnerable locations.

Leading the industry delegation, the Founder of the Plantation Owners Forum of Nigeria, Dr Fatai Afolabi, commended the Service for creating a platform for dialogue while drawing attention to the need to clamp down on vegetable oil smuggling into the country.

“Smuggling of vegetable oil will undermining local production, discouraging investment and threatening thousands of jobs across the value chain,” Afolabi said.