Customs seizes N198m goods, to curb wood export

The Federal Operations Units (Zone B) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized contraband worth N198.126 million in Duty Paid Value (DPV).

The Controller, Comptroller Albashir Hamisu, who stated this at a briefing at the Zone B headquarters in Kaduna, while displaying some of the seized items, said the seizures were made between June and July.

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He listed some of the seizure to include 428 bags of foreign rice, 670 cartons of spaghetti and macaroni, 106 kegs of foreign vegetable oil in 25 litres, 14 sacks of foreign hand bags, 17 cartons of foreign tinned tomato paste and six vehicles among others. The comptroller advised smugglers to desist from the illegal trade because the service is ready to protect the country’s borders.

Meanwhile in Lagos, Customs has intensified search on export consignments to stop shipment of unprocessed wood and allied products.

The Coordinator, NCS’ CGC Strike Force Team A, Deputy Comptroller Ahmadu Shuaibu, said a four-container load of unprocessed wood valued at N373.5mn had been impounded at the export terminal in Ikorodu, Lagos.

The federal government had in 2019 outlawed the export of unprocessed wood and allied products to protect the nation’s forests.

While showcasing the items, Ahmadu said the smugglers of the wood defied extant export prohibition list.

Other seized items are 550 cartons of foot wears, 343 rolls of synthetic grass cover and 1,709 50kg bags of foreign rice with a cumulative DPV of N664.6m.

He further explained that, “Within the period between January and June, 2021, a total of 86 seizures were made and they were found to have contravened different sections of the Customs and Excise Laws. The goods are worth N1.65bn in DPV.”