In continuation of its anti-smuggling offensive, the Nigeria Customs Service Federal Operations Unit, Zone C Owerri, has arrested six smugglers in connection with several seizures with a duty paid value of ₦492 million.
The Customs Controller of the Unit Owerri, Comptroller Olusemire Kayode who made the disclosure in a statement gave the breakdown of the seizures to include 1, 920 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice, two 40-feet containers containing 612 chairs, a 40ft-feet container of 521 bales of used clothing, and another truck with 61 bales of second-hand clothing concealed within, totalling 582 bales.
Other items seized were 1,182 cartons of Analgin injections, 100 ampoules of 5ml 100×18 pieces totalling 180,000 ampoules, amongst prohibited items.
On the devious antics of smugglers, Olusemire urged well-meaning Nigerians to come forward with useful information that will help curb the nefarious activities of smugglers in the nation.
He said: “Some Nigerians are desperate and are in the habit of breaking the law. These acts are undermining our economy. People should not ruin the economy of the country because of the ill gains they hope to make in business.
“We’ve seized these illicit goods and we are here to ensure that prohibited items do not enter this country. It is believed that the positive outcomes of the border drill exercise, the activities of the strike force and federal operation units would cause such people to have a rethink. Instead these smugglers come up with new ideas and new ways of smuggling.
“We will decimate their efforts and continue to advocate that the people involved should stop this business. We are sensitizing people to fully support the federal government in building the nation”, he said.
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The Customs controller further hinted that the importers concealed the 521 bales of used clothes in a container in a bid to evade detection.
He added that the Analgin medicine that was concealed in another container has been banned by the National Agency for Food Administration and Control (NAFDAC) since 2005 because of its adverse effects on human.
“Yet, someone still tried to bring it into the country. They concealed it with dutiable items and tried to bring it in.
“What will make someone bring in something detrimental to someone’s life? This is even worse than Tramadol because with Tramadol, there are approved dosages one can take. But this has been banned globally because of its grave adverse effect to the body. The container was intercepted at Akpajo along Port Harcourt-Owerri road,” Olusemire added.
On the two containers of furniture that were seized, he explained that though furniture is dutiable but the importers falsely declared the consignment as pumps and valves to evade paying duties.
This, he said, contravened Section 161 of the Customs and Excise Management Act.
“The fight and the war against smuggling of rice are not yet over, it still continues. Daily people struggle to bring in rice and we are prepared to deter them. We are informed of the rigorous efforts smugglers undertake to bring in rice and we are always ahead to stop them but we still wonder why they are insistent on bringing in rice. Some of the rice we intercepted are already expired. “Some were concealed in a truck filled with granite, and in unsanitary conditions. We presently have the ongoing border drill operations, we have the strike force the federal operations unit, and we have the commands as lines of defence against smuggling activities in the nation.
THISDAY