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By Steve Agbota
Comptroller General Strike Force Team ‘A’ of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), yesterday, said it intercepted unregistered and fake drugs, smuggled rice, super market goods and others imported into the country.
Sequel to conscientious documentary checks, the ICT component of the team recovered N426.4 million from Demand Notices on cargoes that were under declared at the nation’s seaport.
The money recovered could have been lost to unscrupulous importers between April and May.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, Coordinator, Comptroller General Strike Force Team ‘A’, Ahmadu Shuaibu, said within the period under review, they made seizures worth a total duty paid value (DPV) of N338.7 million due to series of contraventions on some sections of the customs clearance procedures and extant laws.
According to him, these seizures are products of credible intelligence and meticulous documentary checks, adding that government’s rationale for prohibiting the importation/exportation of some of these goods is to safeguard the nation’s socio-economic and health wellbeing.
While giving the breakdown of he seizures made within the period under review, he said the seizures include, 575 bales of secondhand clothing, 1,440 cartons of super market goods, 664 cartons of drugs without NAFDAC number, 530 cartons of foot wears and 1,600 bags of foreign parboiled rice.
However, he decried unlawful importation of textile materials into the country, adding that importation are killing the nation’s textile industries and jobs meant for the youths in the country.
He warned importers to desist from importing goods, which have negative impact on the nation’s economy and the lives of Nigerians.
“While we appreciate our patriotic traders for their compliance with the Customs and Excise Extant Laws, we employ the cooperation of all international traders to imbibe compliance in the interest of the nation’s socio-economic wellbeing and security,” he said.
