The Comptroller of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone B of the Nigeria Customs Service based in Kaduna, Musa Ibrahim Jalo, has said it intercepted and seized smuggled goods worth over N1.4billion between May and July this year.
The unit recorded a total of 179 seizures during the period, with a combined duty paid value (DPV) of N1.4billion in the zone.
Isah Sulaiman, the FOU public relations officer and Superintendent of Customs, revealed that the operations leading to the seizures were largely intelligence-driven.
He said the diligent efforts of the officers and personnel involved also contributed to the success of the operations.
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Among the items seized were illicit substances, such as cannabis sativa, which were jointly intercepted with the Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT) in Kebbi.
“Additionally, a significant number of vehicles, foreign parboiled rice, second-hand clothing, foreign soaps, vegetable oil and pastas were apprehended,” he said.
He explained that the officers and men of the FOU remained dedicated to their work in line with the vision of the new administration, led by the acting Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Wale Adeniyi.
Comptroller Jalo urged the perpetrators involved in smuggling activities to desist and engage in legitimate trade.
He said the FOU had no plan to negotiate or compromise on existing laws.
“The unit will continue to tackle smuggling and eliminate all obstacles through lawful means,” he said.
The seizures during the aforementioned period included 21 units of used vehicles; 48 bags of foreign parboiled rice (25Kg each); 226 jerry-cans of foreign refined vegetable oil (25 liters each) and 2,780 cartons of foreign spaghetti, among others.
