Contraband including several bags of foreign rice loaded in 43 trailers, nine petroleum tankers worth N3.4bn have been intercepted by men of the Ogun 1 command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
The Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Bamidele Makinde made the disclosure at a press briefing held in Idiroko Area Command on Wednesday, noting that the seizures showed about a 400 percent increase when compared to last year’s record of N834.765.273.00.
Comptroller Makinde also said that the command also generated N29,940,146.50 from auction sales and import duties from seized Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from January to June 2022, with a significant increase from the N15,261.074.00 collected during the same period in 2021.
‘’ The Command has been able to record a spectacular seizure of 25,906 bags of foreign parboiled rice of 50kg each (an equivalent of 43 trailer loads). This huge quantity if allowed into the Nigerian markets would be disastrous to the Federal Government Policy on local rice production and the economy of the Nation. There are several other seizures recorded in various quantities during the same period which include; include 140 pieces of used tyres; 11,645 kegs of 25 litres each of PMS (the equivalent of about 9 tanker loads); 343 cartons of foreign wine; 34 bales, 113 sacks and 36 “Ghana Must Go” bags of secondhand clothes; 64 sacks and 2,218 pairs of used footwear; 328 cartons, 320 sacks and 72 pairs of new footwear 180 pieces of female handbags; 375 bales, 925 pieces of textile, and 900 pieces of machetes.
Makinde said: “The command will continue to dialogue, engage, sensitise and educate the public on social/economic implications of smuggling as well as performing its statutory function of enforcing compliance in line with government fiscal policies. We shall strengthen the customs-community relations and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) within our capacity.
”As part of our stakeholders’ engagement, we paid courtesy visits to traditional rulers in various communities in the State. I sought their support in combating smuggling and urged them to educate their subjects on the menace of smuggling and incessant attacks on security operatives discharging their statutory duties. We also visited heads of various security agencies for synergy and collaboration in the state.’’
Makinde thanked the Controller General of Customs(CGC). Col Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd), officers and men of the command, critical stakeholders, sister security agencies, community leaders, and traditional rulers for their support.