OGUN I CUSTOMS: DC Afeni Bows Out In Glory With N896m Revenue, N14.7bn Seizures
OGUN I CUSTOMS: DC Afeni Bows Out In Glory With N896m Revenue, N14.7bn Seizures
By Success Okezie
The Ogun I Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) witnessed a colourful leadership transition on Tuesday, September 30, 2026, as Deputy Comptroller Oladapo Afeni formally handed over the affairs of the Command to Deputy Comptroller AA Ibrahim as Acting Customs Area Controller.
The handing-over ceremony, held at the Command’s Headquarters Conference Room in Idiroko, had in attendance Heads of Sister Security Agencies, Traditional Rulers and Community Leaders, Distinguished Stakeholders, Senior Officers and Men of the Command, and Gentlemen of the Press.
In his valedictory address, DC Afeni who has been redeployed to the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Ikeja, Lagos, said he was addressing the gathering with deep gratitude to Almighty God and a profound sense of fulfillment.
Afenii recalled that since assuming leadership of the strategic Command on December 4, 2025, his team pursued a clear mandate to strengthen border security, suppress smuggling, facilitate legitimate trade and deepen stakeholders’ engagement across Ogun State.
According to him, through concerted operational strategies, intelligence-led enforcement and enhanced inter-agency collaboration, the Command recorded remarkable and tangible results.
He noted that border security remains a collective responsibility, adding that over the past ten months, the Command hosted high-level joint engagements and security meetings to harmonize operations along Ogun border corridors.
“We deepened operational synergies with the DSS, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service, NDLEA, and environmental management agencies to counter cross-border crimes effectively. We sustained constructive dialogue with traditional rulers, youth leaders, and border community associations to build mutual trust and reduce hostility during enforcement operations,” he said.
Giving a scorecard of his tenure, Afeni disclosed that the Command was given a revenue target of N545,348,440.12, but under his leadership, it generated N896,539,138.00 from January to August 2026, surpassing target by N350,713,920.82.
In the area of export, the Command recorded a significant surge, moving 31,177 metric tons of goods with a Free on Board (FOB) value of N4,644,740,110.09, as against zero export trade recorded in the same period in 2025.
On anti-smuggling, Afeni said the Command recorded 327 seizures with a total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N14,750,394,251.92 between December 4, 2025 and September 29, 2026.
He listed some of the seizures to include 32,449 parcels of Cannabis Sativa (Colorado and Ghana Loud), 50 sacks of raw Cannabis Sativa, 19,525 litres of PMS, 8,787 cartons of Spaghetti, 11,578 bags of foreign parboiled rice equivalent to 12 truckloads, 6,453 kegs of vegetable oil, 6 pieces of live pangolins, 2,128 live cartridges, 1,315 pieces of Riodin explosive, 2 revolver pistols, 11 Dane guns, 2 locally made pistols, military camouflage wears and 7 units of foreign used vehicles including a 2026 Range Rover P530 Autobiography.
He added that seized illicit drugs were handed over to the NDLEA, Idiroko Special Command, while arms and ammunition were handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).
Beyond enforcement, Afeni highlighted Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Initiatives. In July 2026, the Command sponsored the AFENI Cup inter-school football tournament at Iko Gateway Grammar School to promote discipline and discourage youth involvement in smuggling.
The Command also launched a green border afforestation initiative tagged “Green Border & Environmental Sustainability” with planting of hundreds of trees along critical border corridors.
He further disclosed that two major infrastructure projects under the CSR initiative of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, PhD, have been completed and will soon be commissioned – the complete overhaul of Igiri High School, Ijofin, Ipokia LGA and a newly constructed jetty at Ijofin to boost riverine transportation and trade.
Afenii said difficult decisions were taken during his tenure which ruffled feathers but were not for personal gains but to achieve the targets set by the Comptroller-General.
He congratulated his successor, DC AA Ibrahim, expressing confidence in his capacity, and appealed to officers, sister agencies, traditional institutions and stakeholders to give him unalloyed support.
In his closing remarks, he quoted Saint Paul: “I have run with perseverance and have finished the race (here in Ogun I)”, and thanked the CGC, officers and men and all stakeholders for their support.
“I have absolute confidence that under your leadership, Ogun I Area Command will attain even greater heights,” he told his successor.
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