Customs impounds 118 containers of contrabands

The Area II Command, Nigeria Customs Service, Onne, Rivers State, said on Tuesday that it confiscated a total of 118 containers loaded with foreign rice, Tramadol and other banned items between January and December 2018.

The Area Controller of the command, Galadima Saidu, disclosed this during activities to mark this year’s International Customs Day with the theme, ‘Smart borders for seamless trade, travel and transport’, held in Port Harcourt.

Saidu also stated that nine containers loaded with prohibited items had already been seized by his command since the beginning of 2019.

He said the 118 containers impounded last year were also loaded with vegetable oil, tin tomatoes and machetes, which were imported without end-user certificates.

The Customs chief said the command realised N94bn as revenue in 2018, promising that it would surpass the achievement this year.

Saidu stated, “On our success last year, the command generated that the sum of N94bn into the Federation Account and a total of 118 containers were seized that contained rice, Tramadol, vegetable oil, tin tomatoes and machetes imported without end-user certificates and other goods.

“This success was attained jointly by all the stakeholders and the resilience of our officers and men. We promise the Controller-General of Customs that in the year 2019, we will surpass the gains of 2018.

“Our current profile in respect of facilitating legitimate trade and checking the influx of illicit goods shows that we have continued to attain fame and credibility in boosting the revenue of the nation.”

The area controller added that the command had already recorded the sum of N8.4bn as revenue for the Federation Account so far this year.

“So far, as of this morning, January 29, 2019, we have generated the sum of N8,420,112,025.13 and seized nine containers of various items since the beginning of this year,” he stressed.