Customs Seizes 3,300 Cartridges of Explosive Materials, Truck Load of Noodles, 1,268 Bags of Rice Worth N365.16m at Seme Border
Kaila displaying some of the seizures on Tuesday
By Francis Ugwoke
The Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Area Command, has seized 3,300 cartridges of explosive materials, a truck load of expired noodles and other goods which market value was put at N365.16 million.
Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Abdullahi Shuaibu Kaila, disclosed this to newsmen in Seme Border on Tuesday.
Kaila said that some of the items were concealed to stop customs interception.
According to him, the items were seized between May and July 2026, adding that acting on intelligence and sustained surveillance, operatives of the Command had to carry out thorough examination of the goods to discover 1,306 sacks of expired and waste noodles, each weighing 50 kilograms.
The Area Controller said, “What was discovered was deeply disturbing because many of the products had already deteriorated and were visibly decomposing. Intelligence further revealed that the intention of the smugglers was to repackage, relabel and introduce these products into Nigerian markets for unsuspecting consumers.”
” Had this shipment succeeded in gaining entrance to the Nigeria market, countless families would have been exposed to serious health hazards ranging from food poisoning and gastrointestinal diseases to other life-threatening medical complications”
On the seizures, Kaila said the Service has continued to show that border security is a form of public health protection, stating that he was so excited about the seizures of the explosive materials.
The Controller said, “Every interception made by this Command represents a deliberate choice between patriotism and greed, between lawful trade and criminality, between protecting Nigerians and allowing dangerous goods to infiltrate our borders. The items displayed before you are more than confiscated contraband. They are evidence of the collaboration, professionalism and commitment of officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service to protecting our nation. Every seizure recorded reflects our resolve to secure Nigeria’s borders, facilitate legitimate trade, generate revenue for national development and deny criminal networks the opportunity to undermine our economy, security and public health.
“Explosives of this nature have devastating consequences when they fall into the hands of criminal elements. They have the potential to facilitate terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes capable of threatening national peace and security. The successful interception of these explosives demonstrates the vigilance, professionalism and intelligence-driven operations of our officers, working in close collaboration with sister security agencies. Considering the sensitive nature of the seizure, the explosive materials have already been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit for safe custody and further investigation”.
Other items seized include 1,268 bags of foreign parboiled rice, each weighing 50 kilograms, 373 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, 90 packs of Tramaking (250mg), 69 packs of Royal Tapentadol (250mg) and 310,000 sticks of Time/Yes cigarettes.
Also seized were One used speedboat One used Water Bike, One used Toyota Land Cruiser (2017 Model)One used Toyota RAV4 (2016 Model) andOne used Nissan Versa (2010 Model)The Duty Paid Value of all items on display is ₦365,163,709.
The Command disclosed that it generated ₦19,840,280,788.50 between January and July 2026, as against ₦15,941,258,676.01 collected during the same period last year.
The Command surpassed the revenue figure during the same period last year N3,899,022,112.49, representing a 24.45 percent increase.
The Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Area Command, has seized 3,300 cartridges of explosive materials, a truck load of expired noodles and other goods which market value was put at N365.16 million.
Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Abdullahi Shuaibu Kaila, disclosed this to newsmen in Seme Border on Tuesday.
Kaila said that some of the items were concealed to stop customs interception.
According to him, the items were seized between May and July 2026, adding that acting on intelligence and sustained surveillance, operatives of the Command had to carry out thorough examination of the goods to discover 1,306 sacks of expired and waste noodles, each weighing 50 kilograms.
The Area Controller said, “What was discovered was deeply disturbing because many of the products had already deteriorated and were visibly decomposing. Intelligence further revealed that the intention of the smugglers was to repackage, relabel and introduce these products into Nigerian markets for unsuspecting consumers.”
” Had this shipment succeeded in gaining entrance to the Nigeria market, countless families would have been exposed to serious health hazards ranging from food poisoning and gastrointestinal diseases to other life-threatening medical complications”
On the seizures, Kaila said the Service has continued to show that border security is a form of public health protection, stating that he was so excited about the seizures of the explosive materials.
The Controller said, “Every interception made by this Command represents a deliberate choice between patriotism and greed, between lawful trade and criminality, between protecting Nigerians and allowing dangerous goods to infiltrate our borders. The items displayed before you are more than confiscated contraband. They are evidence of the collaboration, professionalism and commitment of officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service to protecting our nation. Every seizure recorded reflects our resolve to secure Nigeria’s borders, facilitate legitimate trade, generate revenue for national development and deny criminal networks the opportunity to undermine our economy, security and public health.
“Explosives of this nature have devastating consequences when they fall into the hands of criminal elements. They have the potential to facilitate terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes capable of threatening national peace and security. The successful interception of these explosives demonstrates the vigilance, professionalism and intelligence-driven operations of our officers, working in close collaboration with sister security agencies. Considering the sensitive nature of the seizure, the explosive materials have already been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit for safe custody and further investigation”.
Other items seized include 1,268 bags of foreign parboiled rice, each weighing 50 kilograms, 373 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, 90 packs of Tramaking (250mg), 69 packs of Royal Tapentadol (250mg) and 310,000 sticks of Time/Yes cigarettes.
Also seized were One used speedboat One used Water Bike, One used Toyota Land Cruiser (2017 Model)One used Toyota RAV4 (2016 Model) andOne used Nissan Versa (2010 Model)The Duty Paid Value of all items on display is ₦365,163,709.
The Command disclosed that it generated ₦19,840,280,788.50 between January and July 2026, as against ₦15,941,258,676.01 collected during the same period last year.
The Command surpassed the revenue figure during the same period last year N3,899,022,112.49, representing a 24.45 percent increase.
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