The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal operations Unit, Zone ‘D’ said it had seized contraband worth N1,178,821,033 between January 30 and August 9, 2023.
The acting FOU Controller, Joseph Adelaja, disclosed this on Wednesday at a media briefing held at the zonal headquarters of the service in Bauchi.
Adelaja said that during the period under review, the unit made a total of 88 seizures, prominent of which are: 174,585 liters of petroleum products and nine sacks of Pangolin Scales and Claws weighing 396.4kg.
Others, according to him, are: 1,800 bags of sugar (50kg) each, 343 bags of fertilizer (UREA/NPK), 328 bags of 50kgs foreign parboiled rice, among other seizures.
The FOU, Zone ‘D’, comprises nine states, namely, Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Gombe, Plateau, Benue and Nasarawa states; with headquarters in Bauchi.
He said that the feat was achieved in pursuance of the unit’s saddled responsibility of enforcing customs laws, implementing government fiscal policies and suppression of smuggling within the zone.
“In accordance with the strategic role of Customs in enforcing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora which came into being in 1973, in line with Section 55 subsection (1) paragraph (1) sub paragraph (1) of Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 (NCSA 2023) and also the Schedule 6 of the ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET) 2022-2026, the Unit has intercepted: Nine sacks of Pangolin Scales and Claws weighing 396.4kg.
“Others are: Two live birds (African crowned crane), one live antelope gazelle, one piece of lion bone and a plastic container of lion fat,” he said.
Adelaja further said that in accordance with Section 55 subsection (1) paragraph (c) of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 (NCSA 2023), the NCS operatives intercepted: “88 cartons of insecticides, 342 packs of foreign candy, 190 cartons of flavoured powdered drinks, 23 sacks of used shoes and 1,800 bags of sugar (50kg) each.
“Others are: 343 bags of fertilizer, UREA/NPK, 328 bags of 50kgs foreign parboiled rice, 66 cartons of foreign soap, 50 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 54 jerrycans of foreign vegetable oil (25 litres each), three units used imported vehicles, 11 vehicles as means of conveyance and 174,585 litres of petroleum products.
“The cumulative Duty Paid Value of all the seized items stands at N1,178,821,033.”
The Zonal Controller added that the seizures were achieved as a result of robust information gathering and credible intelligence sharing by other customs units such as the CIU, Customs Police, SIS, vigilant and resilient patrol officers of FOU Zone ‘D’.
He noted that the Nigeria Customs Service operative’s actions were in accordance with all extant laws as enshrined in the Nigeria Customs Service Act (NCSA 2023) as amended, particularly section 245 (provisions as to detention, seizure and condemnation of goods) and 226 (power to patrol freely).
Adelaja, however, appealed to citizens on the need to provide credible information to the service in order to curb the menace of these unscrupulous smugglers who are bent on crippling the economy of this great nation.
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