Contraband worth more than N7.1 billion has been intercepted by operatives of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone A in the last six months of this year, the Area Controller, Hussein Kehinde Ejibunu has said.
Ejibunu noted that some unscrupulous Nigerians were still sabotaging the economic well-being of the country through the smuggling of prohibited goods.
According to him, 77 trailer loads of foreign parboiled rice of 50kg amounting to 45,978 bags were major contraband seized
‘’Others include 265,830 litres of premium motor spirit, 2,933 bales of used clothes as well as 233 cartons of Tramadol (225mg each) with 83 packs of 225mg. Ejibunu noted that 65 units of used vehicles, 14,784 pieces of used tyres, 119 units of used motorcycles as well as 3,659.05 kg of Indian hemp made the list.’’
Ejibunu disclosed that 103 suspects were arrested in connection with some of the seizures.
The FOU boss attributed the success of the Unit to the improved logistics supplied by the management of the Nigeria Customs Service(NCS) in Abuja, inter-agency collaboration, esteemed stakeholders as we as patriotic citizens who provided useful and timely information.
“I commend the doggedness of the officers, whose diligence to duty has earned the great feat achieved over the past six months. They are a product of officers’ meticulous documentary checks in ensuring that identified revenue leakages are plugged”.
In the period under consideration, Ejibunu said five hundred and seventy-seven million, eight hundred and fifty thousand, four hundred and fifty-seven naira ninety-six kobo was collected as revenue derived from underpayments.
He promised that the Unit will continue to facilitate legitimate trade and compliance by traders to grow the nation’s economy,” while we sustain deliberate efforts aimed at frustrating recalcitrant traders”.