The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Area Command, has intercepted a truck conveying 1,306 sacks of expired and waste noodles, each weighing 50 kilogrammes, in what the Command described as a major public health threat.
The seizure was made following credible intelligence that prompted officers to subject a truck, which was deceptively declared to be carrying food items, to thorough examination.
According to the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Abdullahi Shuaibu Kaila, the noodles were found to have expired, with several of the products already deteriorated and visibly decomposing.
Kaila disclosed this on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, during a press briefing at the Seme Border in Badagry, Lagos State.
He said intelligence gathered by the Command indicated that the expired products were allegedly intended to be repackaged, relabelled and introduced into the Nigerian market for unsuspecting consumers.
“Had this shipment succeeded, countless families would have been exposed to serious health hazards,” the Comptroller said, stressing that the interception underscored the Customs Service’s role in protecting public health in addition to securing the nation’s borders.
He noted that the seizure prevented potentially hazardous food products from reaching Nigerian consumers, describing border security as also being a critical component of public health protection.
The Command also intercepted 1,268 bags of foreign parboiled rice, each weighing 50 kilogrammes, smuggled through illegal routes in separate enforcement operations.
Kaila said the illicit rice imports not only deprived government of legitimate revenue but also undermined the Federal Government’s agricultural policies, discouraged local rice production and threatened the livelihoods of Nigerian farmers.
Beyond food-related seizures, the Seme Command also intercepted 373 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, 90 packs of Tramaking 250mg, 69 packs of Royal Tapentadol 250mg and 310,000 sticks of Time/Yes cigarettes.
The Customs chief said the seizures were part of the Command’s sustained efforts to disrupt the movement of illicit drugs, harmful substances and other prohibited goods through the border corridor.
In another major interception, Customs officers seized 3,300 cartridges of explosive materials allegedly being illegally conveyed through the border corridor.
Kaila said the explosives posed a serious national security threat because of their potential use in terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes.
He disclosed that the explosive materials, along with one suspect, had already been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit for safe custody and further investigation.
Other items seized by the Command included one used speedboat, one used water bike, a 2017 Toyota Land Cruiser, a 2016 Toyota RAV4 and a 2010 Nissan Versa.
The total Duty Paid Value of the items displayed at the briefing was put at ₦365,163,709. On revenue generation, Kaila disclosed that the Seme Area Command generated ₦15.94 billion in 2025, while its revenue collection between January and July 2026 rose to ₦19.84 billion.
He said the seven-month collection had already surpassed the Command’s entire 2025 revenue by ₦3.899 billion, representing a 24.45 per cent increase.
Kaila assured legitimate traders that the Command would continue to combine effective enforcement with trade facilitation, while maintaining its resolve to deny smugglers a safe corridor for economic sabotage.
He added that the seized illicit drugs and unregistered pharmaceutical products would be formally handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for further investigation and necessary action.
The Comptroller reiterated the Command’s commitment to supporting the Federal Government’s economic reforms, facilitating compliant regional trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and protecting Nigeria’s economy, security and public health.
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