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Zika Bobby
Deputy Comptroller Biri Usman Yahaya, Acting Controller of Federal Operations Unit (FoU) of Nigeria Customs Service in Lagos has promised to increase the onslaught against smugglers with seizures and arrest of suspected perpetrators.
Yahaya who said this yesterday after taking over from his predecessor, Aliyu Mohammed , said smugglers are enemies of the people and country as their prohibited wares are capable of injuring the health and well being of Nigerians while injuring the national economy.
“We shall redouble our efforts within the ambit of the law to make the entire South West uncomfortable for smugglers, duty evaders and everyone who warehouses smuggled items. The Controller General of Customs is unrelenting in the battle against smuggling and we will remain committed to enforce the law without compromise,” he said.
Yahaya, who was until his recent appointment, the Commander of the Strike Force in Zone A, said the force seized smuggled items worth over N7 billion between 14 May and 27 December, 2019.
The Strike Force, he added, made use of intelligence gathering and surveillance to put the activities of the smugglers in check.
“As you can see, besides the enormous volume of rice seizures and other offensive items such as imported vegetable oil, imported frozen poultry products, second hand clothing and others, our effort at intercepting unregistered and hard drugs is yielding tremendous results. For instance, just between 14 and 15 July, 2019, the CGC Strike force Zone A intercepted two trailer loads of unregistered drugs with a Duty Paid Value of N310,600,000.
“You are well aware of the danger and harm posed to human health by the consumption of these unregistered drugs trafficked by unscrupulous and unpatriotic individuals,” he said.
Yahaya further disclosed that his men in their unrelenting effort intercepted 157 packages of a substance suspected to be Indian hemp with DPV N13, 360,000.
