Ogun Area 1 Command of Nigeria Customs Service (NSC) has intercepted no fewer than 19.000 bags of rice and arrested four suspected smugglers in the first quarter of the year.
The command also generated a total of N12, 321,075.00 revenue from January to March 2021.
The Command’s Area Controller, Comptroller Peter Kolo who made the closure during a press briefing on Tuesday also revealed that a total of N8, 627, 750.00 revenue was generated in March alone.
Kolo said: ‘’The four smugglers also attacked our officers on duty. One of them even took part in the killing of one of our officers during the EndSARS protest.’’
He said the suspects have been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abeokuta, on a five-count charge.
The customs controller disclosed that his men also intercepted some bags of foreign parboiled rice of 50kg each concealed in two trucks belonging to a soft drink manufacturing company along Denro-Olorunda-Abeokuta road.
Kolo also noted that operatives of the Command ‘’in March alone made a total number of 167 seizures of various contraband goods with a Duty Paid Value of one hundred and sixteen million, five hundred and eighty-six thousand, six hundred and seven Naira, zero Kobo (N116,586,607.00).
‘’Over 7,000 bags of 50kg parboiled foreign rice equivalent to 2 trailers were seized in the month of March,’’ he said.
He said other seized contraband items include; imported foreign parboiled rice, frozen poultry products, petroleum products (PMS) made for exports, used (Second hand) Clothing’s, Cannabis Sativa, Vehicles and Motorcycles used as means of conveyance of prohibited goods, Tomato paste, vegetable oil, medicaments, etc.
He refuted reports alleging compromise on the part of his men by allowing about 60,000 bags of smuggled rice into the country within a week.
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