Customs Will Always Stay Ahead of Smugglers – Apapa Controller

Customs Will Always Stay Ahead of Smugglers – Apapa Controller

The Customs Area Controller of Apapa Port Command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu fsi, has vowed that the command will continue to outsmart smugglers by deploying intelligence and uncompromising enforcement to prevent prohibited items from entering Nigeria.

Olomu gave the assurance on Monday, August 18, 2025, when he received Dr. Martin Iluyomade fsi, Director of Inspection and Enforcement at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), who also chairs the Federal Task Force on Fake, Substandard Drugs and Unwholesome Food.

He said renewed attempts by smugglers to use fake registration numbers and false declarations had consistently failed, stressing that the Apapa Command remains fully committed to the memorandum of understanding signed between the Comptroller-General of Customs and the Director-General of NAFDAC to block entry of fake drugs, unwholesome food, and other items under the agency’s regulation.

Olomu urged NAFDAC to expedite evacuation of seized containers already handed over to the agency, adding that his officers would continue to prioritize not only seizures but also the arrest and handover of suspects.

“Arresting the persons involved is a major step to break the human element influence in the smuggling supply chain and deter others,” he said. “Our officers have embraced the CGC’s zero tolerance for smuggling, and we will not allow laws to be circumvented in ways that endanger Nigerian lives.”

The Customs boss cited the recent seizure of 32 containers of suspected contraband, which attracted the Comptroller-General of Customs’ personal intervention during their handover to NAFDAC, as evidence of the strong collaboration between both agencies.

In his remarks, Dr. Iluyomade praised Olomu for his uncompromising stance, describing the seizures as “life-saving.”

“You can kill one or two people with guns, but fake drugs and unwholesome food can wipe out a whole nation,” he warned, likening the importers of such goods to enemies declaring war on Nigerians.

The NAFDAC Director, who began his career in the agency as a young officer, described Olomu as “the best Controller Apapa Command has ever had.” He said the command’s recognition as best-performing under Olomu’s leadership was well-deserved, while also seeking further support to safeguard handed-over containers from pilferage before evacuation.