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Cartel, Nigerian Security Operatives Allegedly Pocket N24bn Monthly
A notorious smuggling network operating along the Seme–Badagry and Idi Iroko corridors within Nigerian security forces has been exposed.
The Union of Pioneers Association of Smugglers disclosed this to DAILY POST.
Members of the union alleged that Nigerian security operatives and border-area residents have long served as foot soldiers for an illicit trade worth around N24 billion monthly.
Speaking anonymously, union leaders claimed that a powerful syndicate backed by senior security figures oversees the flow of contraband, including rice, vehicles, fuel, and other restricted items, from the Republic of Benin into Lagos. They say goods are routinely cleared after “settlements” with customs officers and escorted safely by military personnel.
The union accused a well-known smuggling coordinator of running what they described as a “mafia-style structure” that enriches a select few at the expense of indigenous operators.
“He doesn’t own a single vehicle, but he collects returns from every operation,” a member said. “His investment keeps growing, while the real indigenes can’t boast of any.”
Attempts by the union to create a new operational team, known as Team C, have allegedly been blocked repeatedly by security operatives. Despite interventions from community leaders and even a prominent Yoruba traditional ruler, the union claims officials have stalled the process to protect their financial interests.
“They don’t want Team C because it will cut into the billions they make,” another union executive said.
Members further accused soldiers attached to two major formations in Badagry of providing escort services for smuggled goods instead of securing Nigeria’s borders. As recently as Saturday, one source claimed, army personnel were seen supervising loading operations after a clearance arrangement involving some customs officials.
“The military are supposed to defend Nigeria’s territorial integrity, but they are escorting smuggled rice and cars into Lagos,” a member alleged.
Multiple senior officers across several formations, including the customs service, were also named by insiders as allegedly offering top-level protection for the network.
While Lagos border routes are described as “crippled” due to the cartel’s grip, the union claims several Ogun State border points are fully active and currently serve as alternative entry routes for smuggled goods, further expanding the cartel’s reach.
“Lagos is dead unless you are connected. But Ogun is booming. That’s why the money is huge,” one union member said.
With December approaching, a month typically marked by heightened smuggling, union members say they were again informed this week that their long-requested operational approval would not be granted. They now accuse security operatives of colluding with the cartel to monopolise the Christmas surge in contraband movement.
Feeling sidelined, the union says it is preparing a petition to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, calling for a full-scale investigation into what they describe as a “billionaire smuggling empire backed by uniformed personnel.”
They insist the alleged involvement of soldiers, customs officers, and police officers shows how deeply entrenched corruption is at Nigeria’s borders.
The spokesperson of the Nigeria Customs Service, Abdullahi Maiwada, has yet to comment on the allegations as of filing this report.
This comes despite the operation of the NCS anti-smuggling unit.
NCS announced in July that it had seized N1.84 billion worth of contraband in South West Nigeria alone.
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POLITICS: Wike-led PDP Faction Takes Over Party Secretariat In Oyo
Members of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, have taken over the secretariat of the party in Oyo State.
The secretariat, located in the Molete area of Ibadan, was in the custody of the faction loyal to Governor Seyi Makinde of the state until Thursday when the members loyal to Wike took over the premises.
DAILY POST gathered that the PDP members stormed the secretariat on Thursday and occupied the premises with hundreds of members of the party in attendance.
PDP chairman in the state, Professor Abdulrahman Akinoso, confirmed the development to DAILY POST.
Akinoso in a telephone conversation with DAILY POST on Thursday, insisted that the real owners have taken over the premises.
He said, “It is true. It is not faction. It is PDP. We have taken over the premises. It was in the morning. We were there in the morning. We just left the premises. We are now in control. We have taken over the premises.” .…For more, Complete your reading.
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POLITICS: Foreign Recognition Won’t Secure Re-election – ADC Tells Tinubu
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has told President Bola Tinubu that foreign recognition will not secure him another term in office, insisting that Nigerians will judge his administration by its performance, not by diplomatic gestures from other world leaders.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party reacted to the Presidency’s celebration of a purported letter from United States President Donald Trump to Tinubu.
The ADC said presenting the letter as an endorsement of Tinubu’s administration was misleading, stressing that diplomatic correspondence between world leaders is a normal part of international relations.
“The Presidency’s attempt to present President Donald Trump’s letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as though it were a referendum on the state of the nation is not correct,” the party said.
According to the ADC, countries cooperate, leaders exchange views and letters regularly, adding that such communication does not amount to an endorsement of a government’s performance.
The party accused the Tinubu administration of being desperate for international validation instead of focusing on solving Nigeria’s challenges.
“It is apparent that this administration is desperate to seize upon any gesture of international recognition as proof of success at home,” the statement said.
The ADC maintained that “a letter from a foreign president, however well-intentioned, cannot substitute for the verdict of the Nigerian people.”
It added that the true measure of any government is not what foreign leaders say about it, but what citizens experience daily.
The opposition party argued that Trump’s letter had not changed the reality facing millions of Nigerians, especially those affected by insecurity.
“For the millions of Nigerians still living with the consequences of this government’s failures, President Trump’s communication changes nothing. It did not say that insecurity has been overcome or that Nigerians can once again travel freely, farm safely and sleep without fear,” the party stated.
The ADC also pointed to the continued captivity of hundreds of women and children in parts of Borno State and Kaiama in Kwara State, while many communities in Benue and other parts of the country still live in constant fear because of insecurity.
The party further noted that, despite the Presidency’s celebration of the letter, the United States Department of State has not changed its travel advisory for Nigeria.
According to the ADC, several Nigerian states remain under Level 3 and Level 4 travel advisories, with American citizens still being urged to reconsider or avoid travel because of crime, terrorism, kidnapping and civil unrest.
“We therefore wonder how correspondence from a government that designates several Nigerian states as ‘Do Not Travel’ areas can be regarded as an endorsement,” the party said.
It argued that the travel advisory shows the international assessment of Nigeria’s security situation remains different from the image the Presidency is trying to project.
The ADC said Nigerians are more concerned about their safety than diplomatic exchanges between presidents.
“The daily reality of Nigerians is shaped not by diplomatic correspondence, but by the guarantee that they can go about their lives without falling victim to violent crime or terrorism,” it said.
The party stressed that Trump’s letter was simply communication between two presidents and “does not amount to an endorsement of this government’s overall performance.”
It urged the Tinubu administration to focus less on celebrating diplomatic courtesies and more on delivering measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
“Ultimately, Nigerians will not judge this government by the letters it receives from foreign capitals. They will judge it by whether .…For more, Complete your reading.
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