The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has unveiled plans to intensify its fight against the smuggling of vegetable oil into the country through intelligence-driven special operations designed to protect local investments, preserve jobs and strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, CGC Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this during a strategic meeting with stakeholders in the vegetable oil industry held at the Service Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja.
Adeniyi said the Service remains resolute in its commitment to combating smuggling through targeted enforcement operations, intelligence gathering and sustained collaboration with industry stakeholders. He stressed that the Customs Service and operators in the vegetable oil sector share a common goal of protecting legitimate businesses, encouraging investment and boosting national economic growth.
According to him, tackling smuggling requires continuous cooperation between government institutions and the private sector, particularly in sectors that play critical roles in employment generation, industrial development and food security.
The Customs boss urged stakeholders to support ongoing enforcement efforts by providing credible intelligence on smuggling routes, illegal entry points and illicit trade networks.
“Fighting smuggling is a continuous process that requires intelligence, policy support and collaboration. We value constructive engagement with stakeholders and will continue to strengthen our partnership with the private sector,” Adeniyi stated.
Also speaking at the meeting, the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation, DCG Timi Bomodi, highlighted the Service’s successes in curbing the illegal importation of vegetable oil products across the country.
Bomodi disclosed that the Service recorded 65 seizures of vegetable oil products in 2025 and an additional 23 seizures in 2026, with a combined Duty Paid Value estimated at N1.314 billion.
He noted that many of the interceptions were made along major smuggling corridors, particularly the Seme and Idiroko border axes, while assuring stakeholders that surveillance and enforcement activities would be further strengthened in other identified vulnerable locations nationwide.
“We recorded about 65 seizures of vegetable oil products in 2025 and another 23 seizures in 2026, with a combined Duty Paid Value of approximately N1.314 billion,” Bomodi revealed.
Leading the industry delegation, Founder of the Plantation Owners Forum of Nigeria, Dr. Fatai Afolabi, commended the Nigeria Customs Service for creating a platform for constructive dialogue between government and industry players.
He, however, expressed concern over the continued smuggling of vegetable oil into the country, warning that the illicit trade threatens local production, discourages investment and puts thousands of jobs across the agricultural value chain at risk.
“Smuggling of vegetable oil is undermining local production, discouraging investment and threatening thousands of jobs across the value chain,” Afolabi stated.
The meeting underscored the growing collaboration between the Nigeria Customs Service and industry stakeholders as part of broader efforts to safeguard domestic industries, promote economic sustainability and strengthen Nigeria’s drive toward agricultural and industrial self-sufficiency.
