By Ebiere Kekeboro
A new investigative report by online newspaper Sahara Reporters has uncovered what it describes as a vast, well-coordinated smuggling ring allegedly involving personnel of the Nigerian Army, Police, and Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) along the Seme Badagry and Idi Iroko border corridors.
According to the report, the network generates an estimated ₦4 billion to ₦6 billion every week, enabling hundreds of truckloads of foreign rice, fairly used vehicles and other prohibited goods to enter Lagos and neighbouring states through the Benin Republic border with the alleged protection of security operatives deployed to enforce Nigeria’s border laws.
The investigation cites testimonies from members of the Union of Pioneers Association, a group said to comprise over 3,000 long-time border operators and local smugglers. The group accused senior officers across security formations of running a “criminal empire in uniform” that sidelines indigenous operators while cornering the proceeds of the illegal trade.
One member quoted in the report alleged that a powerful cartel, backed by officers from the Army, Customs, and Police, now controls the most lucrative smuggling routes.
“The leader has no vehicle, yet he takes returns from every trip. His profits keep multiplying while the original indigenes who have worked these borders for decades cannot boast of a single investment,” the operator said.
Sources claimed that a single influential coordinator oversees the major channels of smuggling along the Seme–Badagry axis, securing pre-clearance for contraband after “settlements” with officials. Heavily armed escorts are allegedly assigned to accompany the goods into Lagos with minimal risk of interception.
The Sahara Reporters investigation further alleges that military personnel from two major formations in Badagry are frequently deployed not for border enforcement, but to escort truckloads of foreign rice and vehicles after clearance agreements with customs personnel. One source claimed soldiers were seen supervising loading operations as recently as the previous day.
“The Army is supposed to defend Nigeria’s territorial integrity, yet they are the ones escorting smuggled goods. What is happening here runs into billions,” another source said.
Despite multiple internal meetings, including one reportedly involving a prominent Yoruba traditional ruler, efforts by the Pioneers Association to restructure operations and regain participation in the trade have allegedly been blocked.
Meanwhile, although access through Lagos has become restricted to cartel-linked operators, the report says at least seven active border crossings in Ogun State continue to serve as alternative smuggling routes, with trucks passing through with minimal inspection.
“Ogun is booming. If you are not part of the cartel, Lagos is a dead zone for you,” an operator told the newspaper.
With December traditionally the peak season for rice and goods smuggling fast approaching, the group claims they were summoned for another meeting this week, only to be informed their new team would not be approved.
Frustrated by years of exclusion and alleged official collusion, members of the group are reportedly preparing a petition to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, seeking a full-scale investigation into what they described as a multibillion-naira criminal enterprise protected by security operatives.
The petition argue that the alleged involvement of officers of the Army, Police, and Customs in escorting illegal goods demonstrates deep compromise within Nigeria’s border security architecture, warning that the situation threatens national security, economic stability, public trust in law enforcement, and hampers the success of the current administration economic renewal agenda.