Customs Seize Over 3,300 Jerrycans of Smuggled Vegetable Oil in Owerri

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Federal Operations Unit, Zone C, has intercepted 3,310 jerrycans of smuggled foreign vegetable oil during a major anti-smuggling crackdown.

The Unit Comptroller, Bishir Balogun, confirmed the development in an official statement on Monday, revealing that the massive haul was uncovered through targeted intelligence gathering and coordinated enforcement sweeps by customs operatives.

The seized contraband consists of various sizes and brands of prohibited cooking oils, including:

* 3,310 jerrycans of 25-litre “Super Delicious” vegetable oil

* 10 jerrycans of 10-litre “Super Delicious” vegetable oil

* 20 cartons of 5-litre sunflower vegetable oil

* 20 cartons of 3-litre sunflower vegetable oil

Balogun described the successful operation as a major blow to smuggling rings whose illicit operations actively undermine local manufacturing, hinder employment generation, and strain foreign exchange earnings. He emphasized that the raid underscores the agency’s strict commitment to enforcing the Nigeria Customs Service Act and supporting federal trade policies that ban foreign vegetable oil importations to protect local industries.

The confiscated products are currently being held at a customs facility while investigations continue. Authorities have warned individuals involved in cross-border smuggling to halt their operations, stating that the agency will continue to ramp up intelligence-led field exercises to safeguard national security and the domestic economy.