The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘C’, Owerri, said it made a total of 70 seizures with a Duty Paid Value of N663,089,296 for the months of January, February and March, 2016 as against the sum of N650,561,172 recorded for the year 2015
The Customs Area Comptroller in charge of the unit, Mr. Mmamudu Haruna, who disclosed this to newsmen on the premises of the NCS in Owerri, stated that while the under payment recovered stood at N214,959,353,34, suspects were arrested in connection with shady deals within the period under review.
According to Haruna, 18 cases arising from the seizures are pending in court.
He listed the seized contraband goods as 44 vehicles, 380 cartons of article of plastics, 1,656 pieces of used tyres, 3,614 cartons of imported frozen poultry products as well as 818 cartons of foreign soap/detergents.
Others, according to him, are 181 bales of textile fabrics, 737 pieces of bags/suitcases and 85 bundles of footwear, 120 packages of furniture and 906 cartons of unregistered drugs, all of which were seized on Benin axis, Agbor-Onitsha-Asaba, Owerri, Calabar and Aba/Eleme axis.
Aside this, Haruna said that over 19 trucks of 50kg rice had also been impounded pending proper and thorough investigation.
“Our men are now better trained, well equipped and motivated to deal with the nefarious activities of smugglers that have continued to inflict a devastating blow on the nation’s economy,” he said.
Haruna added that the crusade against smugglers, their agents and collaborators had been intensified and would be pursued with stronger vigour until the battle was won.
He, therefore, advised those still trapped in the illicit business of smuggling to desist forthwith in their own interest.
Haruna appealed to members of the public with useful information about smugglers to always make them available to his men or to other sister agencies for prompt action.
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