Over 3,000 vehicles allegedly loaded with smuggled goods, including rice, were reportedly moved from Idi-Iroko to Sango, Ogun State, on Tuesday night by certain officials of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
The operation was revealed by Nigerian investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo on his official X Handle.
According to Soyombo, the operation was orchestrated by a smuggler identified as Adeyemi Habeeb Abdulganiy, popularly known as “Abuga,” in collaboration with a customs officer named Najeem Akorede, who is infamously referred to as “Najeem Custom.”
The duo allegedly worked together to bypass regulatory checks and ensure the contraband goods passed through undetected.
The Report suggests that the massive smuggling operation was initially scheduled for Saturday night but was postponed due to disagreements over settlement arrangements with some customs officers. Once the alleged payments were finalized, the green light was given, and the operation was successfully executed last night.
The report reads, “It has been brought to my notice that while the rest of us were asleep last night, your men in Ogun State colluded with smugglers to move over 3,000 cars from Idi-Iroko into Sango — that’s at least 9,750,000 kg of rice (3,000 multiplied by 65 bags multiplied by 50kg) through the backdoor.
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“The process, facilitated by Najeem Akorede, your man popularly called ‘Najeem Custom’, was spearheaded by Adeyemi Habeeb Abdulganiy, the smuggler better known as ‘Abuga’.
“Of course some of your more senior men were directly or indirectly involved. This specific track of smuggling was originally scheduled for Saturday night, but it could not proceed as some of your officers had not yet been settled.
“WIth everyone now settled and the crime successful, I believe ‘congratulations’ are in order!”
This incident comes amidst rising concerns about the integrity of the nation’s borders and the effectiveness of customs in curbing smuggling activities.
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