PICTORIAL: Customs Intercepts N770m Contrabands, Generates N92.369m In Ogun

The anti-smuggling operatives of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) from Ogun 1 Area Command, Idiroko Border, have intercepted no fewer than 940 rounds of live ammunition, alongside over 7,000 bags of foreign parboiled rice, each weighing 50kg between March and June this year alone.

This is just as the operatives also successfully halted the illegal importation of 219 sacks, with additional 1,725 parcels of weeds suspected to be Indian Hemps into Nigeria from the neighbouring Benin Republic.

The NCS Area Controller (CAC) for Ogun 1 Command, Comptroller James Ojo, disclosed these on Monday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, while briefing journalists on the stewardship of his command for the second quarter of the year 2024.

The CAC, who gave the cumulative Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seizures as over N770. 666 million, also listed other contrabands to include: 44,466 liters of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly referred to as petrol; 2,227 pieces of foreign-used vehicle tires, as well as 2,947 cartons of frozen poultry products, which consumption, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other authorities, has proven to be dangerous to human health.

“According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the health implications of consuming frozen poultry products preserved with chemicals and smuggled into Nigeria from the Republic of Benin can be severe and multifaceted.

“Speaking of the chemical contamination, smuggled poultry often lacks proper regulatory oversight, increasing the risk of harmful chemicals being used for preservation. These chemicals, which can include formaldehyde and other preservatives, can be toxic if ingested, potentially causing acute and chronic
health issues, including poisoning, cancer and organ damage,” CAC Ojo stated.

He explained that the interceptions were a result of continuous vigilance,
collaborations with the traditional rulers of the host border communities, as well as other sister security agencies, who all supported his dreams on the need for a united front in the fight against smuggling and other economic crimes.

Speaking on the revenue generation by the Area Command, which is equally part of the core mandate of the Service, the CAC disclosed that a total sum of over N92.369 million was generated to the coffers of the federal government within the period under review.

Interestingly, this revenue represents about a 52.46% increase compared to the N53,983,622:00 recorded in the corresponding period of 2023. In addition, the Command surpassed
the monthly revenue target of N34,122, 666:90 in June 2024 by 77.86%.

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