Nigerian Customs Operatives Allegedly Aid Smugglers To Bring In Over 3000 Cars Conveying Rice In One Night

Nigeria’s investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo, has again exposed how the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) officers allegedly colluded with notorious smugglers in another round of rice smuggling and brought in over 3000 cars.

Soyombo, who said this on his social media account on Wednesday, said that the rice were smuggled from Idi-Iroko in the Ipokia local government area of Ogun State into Sango area of the state on Tuesday night.

Soyombo said, “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.

“The process, facilitated by Najeem Akorede, your man popularly called ‘Najeem Custom’, was spearheaded by Adeyemi Habeeb Abdulganiy, the smuggler better known as ‘Abuga’.”

Soyombo said that some of more senior men of the Nigerian Customs Service were directly or indirectly involved in the smuggling operation.

He added, “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!”

Soyombo has been making a series of revelations and exposure of rice smuggling into the country through Ogun state, aided by officers of the Nigerian Customs Service.

He had last week revealed that at exactly 10:01 pm on Tuesday, December 3, he tweeted that 1500 cars containing rice were being moved from Idi-Iroko into Sango and Owode by Adeyemi Habeeb Abdulganiy, the smuggler better known as ‘Abuga’, aided by men of the Nigerian Customs Service.
According to him, a minimum of 4,500,000kg of rice were being smuggled into the country through the backdoor.

He said, “Within an hour of that tweet, your men in Idi-Iroko received a phone call from Abuja to suspend the thievery.

“Hundreds of rice cars had already crossed the border by then, the rest were forced to make an abrupt about-face.

“I am aware that Najeem Akorede, your man popularly called ‘Najeem Custom’, finally passed the remaining thousand rice cars last night, working in cahoots with ‘Abuga’.”

Soyombo revealed in a post that following his X post on then ongoing smuggling of at least 1500 cars containing rice into Sango and Owode, the operation was now suspended.

He wrote, “I can confirm that following my last tweet about the ongoing smuggling of at least 1500 cars containing rice into Sango and Owode, the operation has now been suspended.

“And it took only one phone call from Abuja to Customs in the said area. Just one phone call.

“This is another proof that once political/leadership willpower is intact, many of our problems are solvable. And when problems seem intractable, it’s because the ruling class is invested!”

Soyombo said that in March, when he addressed how Customs officers were the biggest hoteliers in border areas, “I spotlighted Rao International Hotel and Suites, located along the Idi-Iroko smuggling route, specifically Km 15 Sango-Idi-Iroko Road, owned by ‘Najeem Custom’, equating it to policemen establishing hotels along notorious armed robbery routes.

“This is what has become of the Customs service, a government instrument for enriching a corrupt minority at the expense of public good.

“Sooner or later, all this will have to stop. The only way forward is for the borders to be opened for legitimate rice importation.”