Customs Officer Killed in Ogun Ambush as Command Seizes ₦3.32 Billion in Smuggled Goods

A Nigeria Customs Service officer, Assistant Superintendent of Customs Mustapha Akiyode, has been killed in an ambush by suspected smugglers in Ogun State.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, February 3, 2026, along the Ilara–Ijoun axis in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area—a known smuggling corridor. The Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’, confirmed the death in a statement issued on Friday.

During a press briefing in Lagos, the unit’s Comptroller, Gambo Aliyu, described the killing as “a sobering reminder of the dangers faced by officers engaged in border enforcement.” Despite the loss, he reported that renewed anti-smuggling operations had led to major interceptions.

Under a revamped intelligence-driven strategy, the command intercepted 144 smuggling attempts, seizing items with a Duty Paid Value of ₦3.32 billion. The seized goods included:

- 6,954 bags of foreign parboiled rice

- 77 bags of foreign sugar

- 21 used vehicles

- 3,362 jerrycans of vegetable oil

- 20,700 litres of premium motor spirit (PMS)

- 915 bales of used clothing

- 581 used refrigerator compressors (classified as hazardous waste)

- A 20-foot container of stone-coated aluminium roofing sheets

Additionally, operatives intercepted 3,029 parcels of synthetic cannabis indica weighing 1,431 kilograms. The illicit drug was handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and prosecution.

Aliyu warned that drug trafficking fuels instability and violence in the country, urging perpetrators to embrace legitimate trade. Eight suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures.

The command reaffirmed its commitment to border security despite the risks faced by personnel in the line of duty.