The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone B Command, Kaduna, said it has seized smuggled goods with duty paid value of N690.8 million from August to October 2022.
The FOU Zone B comprises 10 states within the Northwest and North Central geopolitical zones with Kaduna as its administrative headquarters, while the unit’s anti smuggling activities stretches around Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kogi, Kwara and Niger states.
The items seized include, 814 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 758 bales and sacks of foreign second hand clothing, 533 cartons of foreign spaghetti and macaroni, 473 cartons of foreign pharmaceuticals, 245 pieces of used tyres, 221 Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 116 cartons of foreign female shoes.
Other are, 20 units of used imported vehicles, four means of conveyance, 14 cartons of foreign body cream, eight sacks of foreign used shoes, nine bales of foreign second hand bags, 12 cartons of foreign cigarettes and tobacco snuff, 59×5 litres of foreign vegetable oil, 10×25 litres foreign vegetable oil and 70 parcels of Cannabis Sativa (Marijuana).
The Area Controller of the command, Al-Bashir Hamisu, who made the disclosure in Kaduna, in a statement by the Public Relations Officer, Isah Sulaiman, said the unit made 132 seizures within the period under review.
Hamisu attributed the command’s success to its sharing of intelligence with other sister agencies and effective performance management.
He further enjoined citizens to volunteer information to stem the menace of smuggling in Nigeria.
In the same vein, the Controller handed over the arrested parcels of Cannabis Sativa to the Assistant Commander of Narcotics, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Kaduna, Ado Ali Kubau, in the spirit of inter-agency collaboration.
While taking over the illegal substances, Kubau commended the Customs’ unit for the zeal and commitment despite the technicalities and complexity of arresting drugs of this nature.
