From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Customs Service says it made a seizure of prohibited and smuggled items with Duty Paid Value worth N1,484,422,447billion in one year.
The Customs Area Controller, Ogun 1 Command, Idiroko, Dera Nnadi, stated this while briefing newsmen on the scorecard of the command between the 2021 fiscal year and January 2022
Nnadi added that the command made a sum of N42, 921, 205.50 million as revenue collected from the auction sales of seized petroleum products and scrap metals in the period under review.
He noted that the major source of revenue of the command which is import/export have not been optimized since the closure of the land Borders as directed by the Federal Government of Nigeria for more than two years.
On the seizures made by the command, the Area Controller said 57,758 bags of 50kg each (96 trailer loads), 10 units of used vehicles and 231untis of means of conveyance were confiscated.
Other seized items, according to Nnadi include poultry products, used tyres, second-hand clothing, dangerous drugs (tramadol and cannabis sativa), palm oil, assorted soaps and cream in 2021.
In January 2022, he disclosed that 3,008 bags of 50kg and the equivalent of five trailer loads of foreign parboiled; 17 vehicles used as means of conveyance; 1,353 cartons of frozen foods; 15,000 litres of PMS; 17 bales of second-hand clothing; 127 small bags and 15 big sacks of Cannabis Sativa;
3 kegs of 25liters each, 5 kegs 1.8 litres, 4 kegs of 5 litres and 12 bottles of vegetable oil were seized.
The Area Controller, however, attributed the remarkable increase in the number and quantities of seizures by the Command to the “aggressive stakeholders’ engagement and management;
deployment of intelligence in all the operations across the state; structural reorganization of the Command; improved motivation of officers by the NCS management as exemplified by the operational vehicles allocated to the Command recently and the provision of accommodation in various outstations of the Command as well as improved discipline and total dedication to duty by officers of the Command”.
Nnadi, however, noted that there was a decrease in attacks on officers of the command by suspected smugglers in the last four months, urging parents and guardians residing in border communities to prevail on their children, wards and youths to desist from such criminal acts such as smuggling and attack on security agencies.
“The Command will continue to dialogue, engage, sensitize and educate the public on social/economic implication of smuggling as well as performing statutory function of enforcing compliance in line with government fiscal policies.
“Permit me to use this opportunity to appeal to parents and guardians residing in border communities to prevail on their children, wards and youths to desist from such criminal acts such as smuggling and attack on security agencies.
“It is gratifying to note that we are all on the same page on the need to improve on our relationship with a view to maximize the opportunities offered the proximity of the state to the border and develop trade in Ogun State.
“I want to appreciate the collaborative efforts of other sister agencies in the fight against smuggling and appeal for their continuous support. It is important to note that activities embarked upon by the Command is a patriotic duty in the interest of national security and economic wellbeing of Nigeria. NCS operatives in observance of the rules of engagement will continue to carry out its legitimate duties as prescribed by the law”. The Customs Area Controller stated.