In keeping with its reinvigorated effort to stamp out smuggling in the South West Zone of the country, the Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit (FOU) has in the last two weeks intercepted various contraband items with a duty paid value (DPV) of N2,055,321,389.84.
Mohammed Uba, comptroller, Customs FOU, Zone ‘A’ in a statement, said the unit intercepted various contraband items between July 25 and August 7, stating that the Nigeria Customs would double its anti-smuggling effort while collaborating with sister agencies of government.
“This is the second time in a row that the unit is intercepting this substance since the Federal Government banned the importation of cough syrup that contains codeine,” he stated.
Notably among the seizures made was a truck with registration number XB 286 BEN along Afromedia Estate by Alaba International carrying 2,748 cartons of DSP Codeine cough syrup 100mg (100 per carton) and 95 cartons of Chaka pain Xtra with a DPV put at N1,175, 200,200. Also seized were 17 Sport Utilities Vehicles (SUV) with N348,291,251.94 DPV, and 1,380 bags of foreign 50kg parboiled rice with a DPV of N18,288,174.
According to Uba, smuggling is a global phenomenon that can be reduce to it barest minimum through aggressive collaboration by all security agencies and blocking the various flashpoints in the system.
However, he said the seizure was significant to him as it mark his last press conference as controller FOU, zone A, Ikeja due to his redeployment to Seme Area Command, as the CAC of the service.
Other items confiscated by the FOU Customs include 49 cartons of capsule 100mg with a DPV of N73, 500, 000; cannabis (Indian hemp) of 1, 610kg with DPV of N154, 560, 000; vegetable oil of 25kgs with a DPV of N1, 701, 000; and 1, 126 used bags/shoes with a DPV of N2, 026, 800.
Similarly, 21 sacks of Pangolin scares weighing 1,031 kg with a DPV of N245, 447, 319.3; 140 and four pieces of elephant tusk with a DPV of N8, 118, 737. 4 weighing 29.35kg from a shop located in market in Victoria Island, with a DPV of N253, 566, 057. 7.
“The trade on such endangered species is globally prohibited, hence the need for us all to fight against such illegality so that such endangered species do not go into extinction,” he said.
