Comptroller-general of Customs, Strike Force, Zone A, of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has said it intercepted N7 billion worth of contraband smuggled into the country from neighbouring countries between January to June 2022.
The coordinator, Strike Force Unit, DC Mohammed Yusuf, told journalists yesterday four suspects were arrested in connection with the smuggled items.
The seized items were, 8,000 bags of foreign parboiled rice of 5Okg each, equivalent to 13 trucks; 1x40ft container of Tramadol; Sildenafil citrate; 1613 bottles of 100ml Codeine III; 1079 bales of second hand clothing; 3,695 pieces of used tyres.
Others are, 966 slabs of donkey skin; 77,760 pairs of new ladies shoes; 5,250 pairs of used shoes; and 197 logs of wood.
Yusuf explained that his team has suppressed smuggling, prevented revenue loss, protects environmental degradation, unlawful poaching of wildlife poaching, protects the national economy and improved importers’ compliance.
He said, “Our operational capacity received a big boost with additional new Toyota Hilux vehicles from the Comptroller-General of Customs, which provided support for suppressing smuggling, preventing revenue loss, protecting environmental degradation, unlawful wildlife poaching and in all, protecting the national economy.
“Specifically speaking, importing what we can produce threatens our economy, unlawful felling of trees degrades the environment and promotes deforestation while illegal killing of wildlife creatures and endangered species like pangolin and donkeys for their scales and skins respectively, could lead to these animals’ extinction.
