ABUJA: Operatives of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have intercepted vehicles, frozen poultry products, rice and vegetable oil with the duty paid value of N62.6million, just as it impounded 295.4kg of Indian hemp for which the bus belonging to the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta was used to convey. Speaking during a Press conference held in Abeokuta on Tuesday, Sani Madugu, Customs Comptroller, Ogun State Area Command, disclosed that the smuggled goods were intercepted at Ogun state end of Nigeria-Benin Republic borders within ten days. Giving the statistics of seizures made within ten days of serious operations, the Customs Comptroller explained that the operatives of Nigeria Customs seized nine exotic cars, 2000 bags of rice and 220 gallons of vegetable oil with the duty paid value of N41 million in addition to 4500 cartons of frozen products worth N21.6 million. While showing off the seizures in the presence of newsmen in Abeokuta, he noted that the seizures were major breakthroughs of the Command in its fight against smuggling, saying that the Command had redoubled it’s efforts to block all financial leakages recorded from smuggling activities.
Comptroller Madugu explained that the Command has redoubled and restrategise its efforts and has blocked all leakages in Ogun Command which he said is recording remarkable achievements. He also revealed that interception of the Federal University, Abeokuta Coaster bus conveying 42 bags of rice and 211 bible- size compressed packs of Indian hemp was made during the period under review. He noted that the driver of the bus who was also arrested took advantage of the school bus in which he used to convey the University students to the place where they do practicals around Imeko area to smuggle Canabis before the hands of the law caught up with him.
The Ogun State Commander of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Bala Fagge, who received the intercepted drugs, weighing 295.4kg, said that the collaboration that exist between the NDLEA and Nigerian Customs Service led to the success made in the fight against smuggling and illicit drugs. While explaining that about 70% of crimes committed in Nigeria are related to drugs, the Commander urged relevant stakeholders to educate youths against the dangers inherent in trafficking and consumption of drugs.
