Customs seizes N414.7m rice, shoes others in one Month

ABIOLA Seun |

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized contraband goods worth NN414, 712,500 smuggled in through the land borders across the country.

Deputy Comptroller and National Coordinator, Comptroller General Strike Force, Mr. Abdullahi Kirawa who disclosed this while addressing newsmen in Lagos yesterday, said that the seizures was made by the CGC Strike Force team from August 11 to September 18, 2018 based on credible intelligence gathering by Customs Intelligent Unit (CIU).

He hinted that the items ranged from bags of rice, vegetable oil, second – hand clothes and shoes, cartons of frozen poultry products, unprocessed/firewood, sugar and vehicles of different brands.

Giving breakdown of the seized items, the second-hand clothing and 640 bales of shoes in 1×40 container worth N32,000,000; 18×20 and 3×40 containers of unprocessed and firewood worth N144,000,000; 2×20 containers of wet blue worth N123,727,500, 59 bags of sugar x 50KG worth N590,000 were seized respectively.

While seven seized means of conveyance with four cars worth N600,000, two trucks worth N6,000,000 and 1 M/Ben Bus worth N1,5000,000 were as well intercepted.

Other items also seized were frozen poultry with quantity of 45 cartons value at N225,000; vegetable oil in 26 kegs x 10 litres value at N130,000 and 14 kegs x25 litres value at N140,000. While used motor vehicles seized were Madza 323 car worth N750,000; Toyota Hilux N11,500,000; Toyota Avensis car worth N1,800,000; Lexus ES 350 valued at N2,500,000; Toyota Venza worth N5,500,000 and Ford Transit Bust FTC loaded with contraband goods valued at N1,750,000and 6,669 bags of rice 50kg worth N90, 000,000 were all seized.

In addition, he said the rice intercepted by the Strike Force team was equivalent to 11 trailers.

He warned that rice that are being smuggled into the country are less nutritious compared to our locally produced rice. He therefore urged Nigerians to patronise locally made products.

Kirawa added that NCS and its men are also not relenting especially in the months of ember. Saying the Service is working round the clock to ensure that illicit trade does not thrive in the country.

In order to tackle smuggling activities around the borders, he said NCS formed synergy with its other sister agencies such as Nigerian Army, Navy and the rest to track all these nefarious activities that are being perpetrated by smugglers.

He added, “This we do not only with our sister agencies but with host communities at the borders. The PR unit of the service has also engaged in vigorous campaign in public sensitisation on dangers of smuggling.

“So we are not only ensuring that we make arrest but we are also being proactive in ensuring that in the first place the dangers of smuggling is made known to the general public so that they will also avail us as good Samaritans and citizens with information to track these things down,” he added.