Customs Seize ₦259m Drugs, Military Camouflage on Sagamu–Ore Road

The Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun I Area Command, has intercepted a luxury passenger bus loaded with military camouflage uniforms and illicit drugs valued at ₦259.68 million along the Sagamu–Ore–Benin Expressway.

The Acting Customs Area Controller, Oladapo Afeni, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Idiroko on Monday, describing the seizure as one of the Command’s major anti-smuggling and anti-narcotics operations in recent times.

Afeni explained that the operation was carried out in the early hours of Sunday following actionable intelligence and sustained surveillance by officers of the Command.

According to him, the unregistered luxury bus was tracked from Lagos through several security checkpoints before it was intercepted at about 1:30 a.m. while heading toward the South-East corridor of the country.

Two suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure.

A search of the vehicle uncovered a large cache of military apparel concealed in cartons and hidden compartments.

The seized items included 197 pieces of camouflage trousers and shorts, five complete sets of military camouflage uniforms, 32 camouflage tops, 32 camouflage inner wears and other military-related clothing materials.

Customs officers also discovered narcotics hidden within the structure of the bus.

The illicit drugs included 154 parcels of synthetic Cannabis Indica, popularly known as “Loud,” and seven parcels of “Colorado,” another high-potency cannabis variant.

Comptroller Afeni said preliminary investigations revealed that the military regalia were intended for distribution to unauthorised individuals, warning that such items in the hands of criminal elements pose a serious threat to national security.

He noted that the illegal circulation of military uniforms enables criminals to impersonate security personnel and facilitates crimes such as armed robbery and kidnapping.

“The combination of illicit drugs and military uniforms in a single consignment points to a coordinated criminal network with the capacity to destabilize public order and national security,” he stated.

Afeni credited the successful interception to effective intelligence gathering, inter-agency collaboration and real-time monitoring of suspicious activities along major transport routes.

The Acting Controller further disclosed that the seized narcotics and related exhibits had been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Idiroko Special Command, for further investigation and prosecution.

Receiving the exhibits on behalf of the NDLEA Commander, Ganiyu Adeyooye commended Customs officers for the operation, describing it as a strong demonstration of collaboration among security agencies in combating transnational crime.

The Customs Service reiterated its commitment to intensifying anti-smuggling and anti-narcotics operations across border corridors and urged members of the public to support security agencies with timely information.