The Nigeria Customs Service has disclosed that its battle against smugglers to curb smuggling of contraband and other prohibited materials into the country has not been an easy task.
The comptroller, Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, Ikeja, Deputy Comptroller (DC) HK Ejibunu disclosed this when he received the chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise, Leke Abejide and other members in Lagos on Friday.
‘Thankful for a fine evening’, says Wike after rumoured meeting with Tinubu in France
Buhari reacts as army launches ‘manhunt’ for killers of soldiers in Niger, Taraba
He said the unit was one of the four zones in the country which covered the whole South West as the enforcement and anti-smuggling arm of the service.
“When it comes to smuggling in the zone, many of the borders are not only vast, but also very porous, with volatile communities.
“In the course of performing our functions in 2021, the unit lost four gallant officers through gruesome murder, and that, in anyway, did not dampen our spirit. Our operatives have been facing mob actions and attacks,” he said.
He said the unit arrested 222 suspects in the last 18 months.
In his address, the chairman of the committee, Leke Abejide, commended the unit for the successes it recorded in its operations.
He said that with the passage of the Customs Act Repeal and Enactment Bill, which will be sent to the president for assent, the Nigeria Customs Service would be completely overhauled.
Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.
