{"id":7497,"date":"2025-04-24T19:30:07","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T19:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/psmnigeria.org\/?p=7497"},"modified":"2025-04-24T19:31:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T19:31:20","slug":"n939-million-worth-of-smuggled-rice-intercepted-in-q1-2025-customs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/psmnigeria.org\/?p=7497","title":{"rendered":"N939 Million Worth of Smuggled Rice Intercepted in Q1 2025 &#8211; Customs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.okay.ng\/author\/genesisuao\/\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.okay.ng%2Fnigeria-customs-intercepts-n939-million-worth-of-smuggled-rice-in-q1-2025-amidst-intensified-anti-smuggling-operations%2F\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Nigeria+Customs+Intercepts+N939+Million+Worth+of+Smuggled+Rice+in+Q1+2025+Amidst+Intensified+Anti-Smuggling+Operations&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.okay.ng%2Fnigeria-customs-intercepts-n939-million-worth-of-smuggled-rice-in-q1-2025-amidst-intensified-anti-smuggling-operations%2F&amp;via=okaynigeria\"><\/a><a href=\"whatsapp:\/\/send?text=Nigeria+Customs+Intercepts+N939+Million+Worth+of+Smuggled+Rice+in+Q1+2025+Amidst+Intensified+Anti-Smuggling+Operations%20%E2%98%9E%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.okay.ng%2Fnigeria-customs-intercepts-n939-million-worth-of-smuggled-rice-in-q1-2025-amidst-intensified-anti-smuggling-operations%2F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/share\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.okay.ng%2Fnigeria-customs-intercepts-n939-million-worth-of-smuggled-rice-in-q1-2025-amidst-intensified-anti-smuggling-operations%2F&amp;text=Nigeria+Customs+Intercepts+N939+Million+Worth+of+Smuggled+Rice+in+Q1+2025+Amidst+Intensified+Anti-Smuggling+Operations\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.okay.ng\/nigeria-customs-intercepts-n939-million-worth-of-smuggled-rice-in-q1-2025-amidst-intensified-anti-smuggling-operations\/#\"><\/a><a href=\"javascript:if(window.print)window.print()\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.okay.ng\/nigeria-customs-intercepts-n939-million-worth-of-smuggled-rice-in-q1-2025-amidst-intensified-anti-smuggling-operations\/#\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has revealed that smuggled rice remains its most significant challenge, with a staggering 135,474 bags, valued at an estimated N939 million, seized in the first quarter of 2025 alone. This revelation, made by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, during a press briefing in Abuja, underscores the persistent efforts required to combat illicit trade within the nation\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to a speech made available to our correspondent, Adeniyi highlighted that beyond rice, petroleum products constituted the second most frequently seized commodity, with 61 instances totaling 65,819 liters and a duty-paid value of N43 million. These figures paint a picture of the diverse range of goods being smuggled into the country, posing significant threats to the local economy and national security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRice remained the most prevalent seized commodity, with 159 cases involving 135,474 bags valued at N939m. Petroleum products followed with 61 seizures totaling 65,819 liters valued at N43m,\u201d stated Comptroller-General Adeniyi, emphasizing the sheer volume and economic impact of these interceptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the NCS\u2019s efforts extend beyond economic contraband. Notably, the service reported 22 successful narcotics interceptions valued at a substantial N730 million, signaling an intensified focus on curbing drug trafficking. Furthermore, three high-value wildlife product seizures, valued at an astounding N5.6 billion, underscore the lucrative yet devastating nature of this illegal trade and the Customs\u2019 commitment to environmental protection in line with international agreements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><img alt=\"\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOf particular note were 22 narcotics interceptions valued at N730m, which reflects the service\u2019s intensified focus on combating drug trafficking,\u201d Adeniyi asserted. He further added, \u201cThe service also recorded three high-value wildlife product seizures with a remarkable N5.6bn value, underscoring both the lucrative nature of this illegal trade and our commitment to environmental protection under international conventions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other significant seizures during the first quarter included 13 cases of textile fabrics valued at N134 million, five cases of retreaded tires worth N104 million, and a pharmaceutical seizure valued at N17.1 million. These diverse interceptions demonstrate the vigilance of the NCS across a broad spectrum of prohibited and restricted goods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adeniyi emphasized that the pattern of these seizures reflects the strategic priorities of the Customs Service, which include enhanced border surveillance to intercept high-volume commodities like rice and petroleum products. He also pointed to specialized operations targeting the trafficking of high-value wildlife, building upon existing collaborations with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and other international partners. The sustained focus on dangerous narcotics and pharmaceutical smuggling, coupled with the implementation of advanced non-intrusive inspection technology, are also key components of their evolving strategy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has revealed that smuggled rice remains its most significant challenge, with a staggering 135,474 bags, valued at an estimated N939 million, seized in the first&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7499,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pages"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>N939 Million Worth of Smuggled Rice Intercepted in Q1 2025 - Customs -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/psmnigeria.org\/?p=7497\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"N939 Million Worth of Smuggled Rice Intercepted in Q1 2025 - Customs -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has revealed that smuggled rice remains its most significant challenge, with a staggering 135,474 bags, valued at an estimated N939 million, seized in the first&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/psmnigeria.org\/?p=7497\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-24T19:30:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-24T19:31:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/psmnigeria.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/rrwrdw52.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"272\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"189\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Isiaka Mustapha\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Isiaka Mustapha\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/psmnigeria.org\\\/?p=7497#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/psmnigeria.org\\\/?p=7497\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Isiaka Mustapha\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/psmnigeria.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/133898c85d4c5ad38731c7211e8a2560\"},\"headline\":\"N939 Million Worth of Smuggled Rice Intercepted in Q1 2025 &#8211; 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