N’Central: Customs seize goods worth N58m in 24 days

The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Joint Border Operations Drill (JBOD) Sector 3, said it seized various goods with Duty Paid Value (DPV) worth N58 million in twenty-four days.

The Coordinator of Joint Border Operations Drill covering North Central states, Compt. Olugboyega Peters, said this on Tuesday in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, while briefing newsmen on the sector’s activities for the period under review.

He stated that part of the new strategies deployed against smuggling led to seizures that summed up to 48.

The team made some seizures, which includes 961 Bags of foreign Rice concealed in Bags of Local Rice; 33,000 Liters of Petroleum Tanker; 45 kegs of 25 liters each of Petroleum; 21 Bales of Secondhand Clothing; 7 New Tricycles; 25 Cartons/Crates of Alcoholic and Non Alcoholic Drinks; 12 Used vehicles; and 45 motorcycle and tricycle spare parts.

He said, “The operatives of sector 3 will continue to exercise their statutory responsibilities in the interest of overall socio economic prosperity of the country.

“The sector 3 operatives’ zeal and determination to implement the partial closure of our Nation’s land borders as directed by Mr. President and we will to make the Zone unfavorable to Smugglers.

“Yuletide period is around the corner, smugglers who want to take advantage of this period to smuggle illicit controlled and prohibited goods or engage in human trafficking should think twice, as there will be no hidden place for them due to the new patrol strategies explored by the sector in line with the Presidential directives against illegal perpetrators who are bent on derailing the Nation’s economy.”

He furthered, “To this end, I wish to commend the patriotic collaboration and tremendous assistance we always receive from traditional leaders, eminent personalities and some host communities including members of the press in our resolute drive against smuggling in the overall interest of our dear nation.”

Speaking on the new method adopted by smugglers, he stated, “Smugglers have now invented new means of not just smuggling only foreign parboiled rice of 50kg but unmilled Rice (Paddy Rice) in 100kg just to deceive officers. One of the major highlights of today’s briefing is the seizures of five (5) trucks 1,677 bags of 100kg each of unprocessed rice around Chikanda/Okuta axis of the sector worth N 18,447,000 million.”