Customs to Launch Special Operations Against Vegetable Oil Smuggling, Targets Protection of Local Investments
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has stepped up its campaign against the illegal importation of vegetable oil, unveiling plans to commence intelligence-driven special operations aimed at protecting local investments, preserving jobs and strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, announced the initiative during a meeting with stakeholders in the vegetable oil industry held on Friday, 5 June 2026, at the Service Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja.
According to the Customs boss, the Service is determined to tackle smuggling through strategic enforcement, enhanced intelligence gathering and closer collaboration with industry players.
He stressed that both Customs and operators in the vegetable oil sector share a common interest in safeguarding legitimate businesses, encouraging investments and promoting national economic growth.
Adeniyi noted that combating smuggling requires sustained cooperation between government institutions and the private sector, particularly in sectors that play critical roles in employment generation and economic development.
He therefore appealed to stakeholders to support ongoing enforcement activities by supplying credible information on smuggling routes and illicit trading 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,” he stated.
Also speaking at the meeting, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation, Timi Bomodi, highlighted the Service’s successes in curbing the illegal importation of vegetable oil products.
Bomodi revealed that Customs had recorded a total of 65 seizures of vegetable oil products in 2025 and an additional 23 seizures in 2026. He said the confiscated items had a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of approximately N1.314 billion.
He explained that many of the seizures were made along major smuggling corridors, particularly the Seme and Idiroko borders, adding that surveillance activities would be intensified in other vulnerable locations identified by the Service.
“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 said.
The Customs enforcement chief assured stakeholders that the Service would continue to strengthen monitoring and surveillance operations to prevent smugglers from exploiting weak points along the nation’s borders.
Leading the industry delegation, the Founder of the Plantation Owners Forum of Nigeria, Dr Fatai Afolabi, commended the NCS for providing a platform for engagement and consultation with operators in the sector.
Afolabi, however, stressed the urgent need for decisive action against the smuggling of vegetable oil, warning that the practice poses a serious threat to local production and investment.
According to him, the continued influx of illegally imported vegetable oil products could discourage investors and jeopardise thousands of jobs across the value chain.
“Smuggling of vegetable oil will undermine local production, discourage investment and threaten thousands of jobs across the value chain,” he said.
The renewed anti-smuggling drive by the Customs Service is expected to provide stronger protection for domestic producers and support the Federal Government’s efforts to boost agricultural productivity, promote industrial growth and create employment opportunities across the country.
