ABUJA: The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone ‘C’ Owerri, has impounded 906 cartons of fake drugs and arrested 34 suspects in connection with the goods. Meanwhile, the Command currently has over 18 cases in court, arising from smuggling and contraband trading through the borders and waterways.
The Customs Area Comptroller, CAC, of the unit, Haruna Mmamudu, said the successes were possible because Zone C stepped up security surveillance in the entire Command. He said: “The society must see smuggling as a serious crime and economic sabotage capable of killing local industries. We are working tirelessly to boost revenue generation for government, blocking all loopholes to ensure that our local industries thrive. “Between January and March this year, we recorded a total of 70 seizures with a duty paid value of N663 million.
Underpayment recovered stood at N214.9 million, which is against N7,053,441 recovered in the same period in 2015. “Contraband goods confiscated include 46 vehicles, 380 cartons of article of plastics, 1,656 pieces of used tyres, 3,614 cartons of imported frozen poultry products and 818 cartons of foreign detergents. “Others were 181 bales of textile fabrics, 737 pieces of suitcases, 85 bundles of footwears, 120 packages of furniture, 906 cartons of unregistered drugs. “All of these were seized on the Benin axis, Agbor, Onitsha-Asaba, Owerri, Calabar and Aba-Eleme roads. Aside from these, over 19 trucks of 50kg rice impounded by our men had been detained for a thorough investigation. “There is no hiding place for smugglers, as men of NCS are ready to dislodge them wherever they are. Our officers are now better trained, well equipped and motivated to deal with nefarious activities of smugglers.”
