By Olamide Francis
Barely one month after the Federal Government re-opened the land borders, the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Zone A, announced that it has intercepted foreign parboiled rice, used vehicles, textiles materials as well as Indian hemp worth over N30 billion being smuggled into the country through the Benin Republic border.
The Acting Customs Area Controller of the zone, Usman Yahaya, said the contrabands were intercepted from January 1, 2021, to date.
It was, however, gathered that the seized items came in through the porous border points manned by Seme, Idiroko, and Oyo/ Osun Command of the NSC.
According to Yahaya, also intercepted were fake and unregistered pharmaceuticals worth N51m along Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, as well as cannabis smuggled from Ghana to Iseyin, Oyo state.
He said: “After the opening of the Seme border by the Federal Government, the smugglers thought they could cash in to perpetrate their evil acts. But the unit left them with heavy losses as evidenced in the seizures.”
Giving account, he said a total of 142,677 seizures of different items were intercepted even as he vowed never to relent in making the environment tough for smugglers.
His words: “In the period, the unit intercepted and seized a total of 142,677 different items. 41,652 bags of 50kg smuggled parboiled rice from Idiroko, Ipokia, Imeko, Iseyin, Igbo-Ora and Seme; 1,356 bags of 25kg smuggled parboiled rice; 4,529kg of Indian hemp smuggled from Ghana to Islington worth N710million.
“Others are 66 packs of Tramadol and other unregistered pharmaceutical products, 5,849 cartons of fake drugs, 266 units of means of conveyance and 218 used vehicles.
“Also intercepted are, 1,660 bales of textiles materials; 2,152 kegs of 25kg vegetable oil falsely declared at the other at the seaport of Apapa and Tin-Can Island port and 6,985 cartons of frozen poultry products, and 985 kegs of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) were seized.
“The CAC who said his team arrested 44 suspected smugglers stated that hard times await the economic saboteurs”.
He added: “We arrested 44 suspects in connection with the seizures. We will continue to re-strategize to ensure that smugglers don’t have a hiding place. Instead of incurring losses, I will advise smugglers to embrace legitimate business and become responsible citizens.”