The Niger State Area Command of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted a truck load of foreign rice smuggled into the country through one of the borders in the state.
It also disclosed that it seized rice, vehicles and second hand clothes whose duty paid was valued at N164,256,200 from different locations.
In an interactive session with journalists on Thursday in Minna, the Area Comptroller, Yusuf Kassim, who supervises Niger, Kogi and Kwara states offices of the service said the 18-tyres Howo truck with registration No. DLA 796 XA, loaded with foreign rice was intercepted by men of the Command along Mokwa-Jebba road within the month of October.
According to him, another 934 (50kg) of imported foreign rice with duty paid value of N160, 066,700, twelve bales of second hand clothes with duty value of N432,000 and one used Volkswagen Golf with duty paid value of N180,000 were also seized by officers and men of the Command within the period.
He said other items seized are one used Toyota Camry with duty value of N3,577,500, one used Toyota Avensis 1998 model, one used Toyota Rav4 2017 model and one trailer Howo 18 tyres truck.
He said six persons were arrested within the period and handed to the state Police Command for prosecution.
Kassim averred that the Command’s anti-smuggling unit had introduced more comprehensive security measures that helped in intercepting contraband items from smugglers.
“We have deployed officers to man border posts in Mokwa -Jebba, Tunga Madugu, Kibira and Agbara Rofiya in Borgu Local Government Area of the state, while the order was also sent to officers in border post in Chikanda, Yashikira, Kuso Boso Local Government Area of Kwara state”, he explained.
Speaking on the Internally Generated Revenue, Kassim opined that the Command has generated N1.7billion out of N3.7billion expected revenue from the area command this year.
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