Customs Intercept 250 Bags Of rice Hidden In Fuel Tanker

Efforts of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘B’ of the Nigeria Customs Service in  Kaduna,  in clampdown smuggling has yielded results as it intercepted  250 bags of foreign parboiled rice cunningly concealed in a fuel tanker in Kebbi State, reports Business Today NG.
Zone B of the Federal Operations Unit covers Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kogi, Kwara, and the Federal Capital Territory, making it one of the largest Customs enforcement zones in the country.
The Unit’s Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Customs, Saidu Nuruddeen, who confirmed the development in a statement issued on Wednesday, 6 August, 2025, said the seizure followed a tip-off received by operatives patrolling the Yauri-Kontagora Road in Kebbi State.
According to Nuruddeen, the intercepted vehicle, a DAF tanker truck, was escorted to Kaduna, where a thorough physical examination uncovered the contraband.
Acting Comptroller of the Unit, AM Alkali, also disclosed that the truck was intercepted on August Sunday, 3 August, 2025, based on credible intelligence indicating suspicious movement along the corridor.
“Our operatives acted swiftly and professionally. Upon examination at our Kaduna office, 250 bags of foreign parboiled rice still under import prohibition were found concealed within the tanker, a vehicle usually meant for transporting petroleum products.”
The Comptroller revealed that the duty paid value of the seized rice was ₦20,510,000.
Alkali said, “On August 3, 2025, an operatives of the Unit acting on actionable intelligence intercepted a Daf tanker truck along Yauri-Kontagora Road, in Kebbi State, the team escorted the vehicle to Kaduna for a thorough physical examination.
“Upon examination, it was discovered that 250 bags of foreign parboiled rice were concealed inside the tanker, which were subsequently seized. The duty paid value for the seized rice stands at twenty million, five hundred and ten thousand Naira only.”
Alkali commended his officers for their vigilance, adding that the success of the operation reflected the Unit’s evolving intelligence-led strategy to suppress smuggling.
He emphasized the Unit’s dedication to using proactive surveillance and intelligence to suppress smuggling activities and protect Nigeria’s economic interests.