In three months, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) stated it had made 101 contraband seizures with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N755 million as part of its anti-smuggling operations in Niger/Kogi.
Comptroller Abubakar Adamu, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), announced this during his first press conference at the command’s headquarters in Minna yesterday.
According to Adamu, the command seized exotic vehicles and discovered 23,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 140 rolls of large size foreign rugs, 50 bales of second-hand clothing, eight motorbikes used as transportation, 200 pieces of used tyres, and 88 bags of 50kg each of foreign parboiled rice inside some of the seized vehicles.
Other seizures within the command’s Area of Responsibility (AOR) during the period under review, according to Adamu, include a Mitsubishi Canter vehicle loaded with assorted supermarket goods, including 7,200 pcs of Heinz beans, 600 pcs of Tomato-Ketchup, 240 pcs of foreign wine, 528 pcs of spaghetti, 2,400 pcs of Plum peeled tomatoes, 2,400 pcs of Mushroom pieces and stems, and
A Peugeot 35 bus was similarly stocked with 152 kilograms of basmati rice, 1,080 kilograms of whipped cream, 23 cartons of Skittles salad cream, 184 kilograms of assorted biscuits, 18 kilograms of Nescafe, and other goods.
Following the full operations of the Customs Processing Centre (CPC), the approved posting of the Post Clearance Audit (PCA) and Valuation officers to the command within a month, the controller said the command made a total of N74 million in revenue recovery, mainly from demand notices raised and the disposal of seized PMS.
Eight people were arrested in connection with the seizures, according to Adamu, and are being prosecuted in court.
To accomplish the accomplishments, he claims, the command used vast intelligence and followed the rules of engagement in its operations, adding that no casualties were reported.
“For operational purposes, the command had recently taken 13 brand new Toyota Hilux and gun trucks.” With this on the ground, we re-organized the command’s operations by creating extra roving teams; the command became uncomfortable to smugglers, those who risked, and non-complaint traders engaged in smuggling have stories to tell, and the result is the seizures we’re displaying today,” he said.
According to the controller, the Federal Government’s border closure directive is still in effect in Babanna, the command’s single border station, so no export or import activities are permitted until further notice.
He warned smugglers and criminal elements that the command would track down any illegal routes they used for their nefarious activities, seize their contraband, arrest them, and ruin their illicit enterprises.
The CAC also urged the general people to always aid with important information, while praising sister security organizations for their collaboration.
