By Olamilekan FAWAS
The Federal Operations Unit of Nigerian Customs Service in Owerri said it had seized contraband worth about N500 million.
The Deputy Controller of Customs and National Coordinator, Controller General Strike Force, Mr Abdullahi kirawa, disclosed this to journalists on Thursday in Benin.
Kirawa listed some of the seized contraband to include rice, vehicles, used tyres, used clothes, foot wears and hard drugs.
He said the period of the seizure was between February and early September. The NCS official said more than 5000 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice, concealed in bags were seized including 21 vehicles and 1,000 used tyres.
Others are 125 bales of used clothes and foot wears and bags of Indian hemp concealed in a salon car. He said the customs operatives, through intelligence reports, discovered and carried out the seizures largely through the creeks and land borders.
While reiterating the commitment of the NCS to ridding the country of contraband and smugglers, he advised Nigerians to take advantage of the agricultural incentives of the Federal Government rather than engage in smuggling.
The Zonal Commander, Asst. Controller Kolade Kayode, said the NCS would continue its crack down on saboteurs.
He advised smugglers to desist from their nefarious activities, saying that the Customs would not relent in its fight against smuggling.
