Customs Targets Vegetable Oil Smugglers with Special Intelligence-Led Operations
Kathy Kyari
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced plans to launch special intelligence-driven operations against the smuggling of vegetable oil products into the country, as part of efforts to protect local investments, preserve jobs and strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.
The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this on Friday, June 5, 2026, during a meeting with stakeholders in the vegetable oil industry at the Service Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja.
Adeniyi said the Service was intensifying its anti-smuggling campaign through strategic enforcement, intelligence gathering and stronger collaboration with industry operators.
According to him, Customs and stakeholders in the vegetable oil sector share a common goal of safeguarding legitimate businesses, encouraging investment and supporting economic growth.
He stressed that tackling smuggling requires sustained cooperation between government agencies and the private sector, particularly in sectors that play critical roles in employment generation and national development.
The CGC also urged stakeholders to support the Service 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.
Speaking at the meeting, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation, Timi Bomodi, highlighted the Service’s enforcement successes in curbing the illegal importation of vegetable oil products.
Bomodi revealed that Customs recorded 65 seizures of vegetable oil products in 2025 and an additional 23 seizures in 2026, with a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of about N1.314 billion.
“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 border areas, adding that surveillance would be intensified in other vulnerable locations identified by the Service.
Leading the industry delegation, the Founder of the Plantation Owners Forum of Nigeria, Dr. Fatai Afolabi, commended the Customs Service for creating a platform for dialogue and engagement with stakeholders.
Afolabi, however, stressed the need for stronger action against vegetable oil smuggling, warning that the illicit trade poses a significant threat to local producers and investors.
“Smuggling of vegetable oil will undermining local production, discouraging investment and threatening thousands of jobs across the value chain,” Afolabi stated.
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