The Apapa Area Command of Nigeria Customs Service has arrested and detained two suspects cut with stolen prohibited items.
The two suspect Micheal Ajibade and Olatunde Emmanuel were said to have concealed 10cartoons of 225mg Tramadol tablets valued at two million, eight hundred and fourteen thousand, one hundred and thirty-nine naira in an ambulance.
Area controller of Apapa Custom Command, Comptroller Muhammed Abba-Kura disclosed this on Wednesday at the command during a media briefing regarding the arrest.
According to Abba-Kura, during a routine surveillance on the 12th of July at about 11pm his officers intercepted an ambulance (Hyundai) with registration number LND 605 XW that is suspected to be laden with offending articles.
Upon examination, the command boss said the ambulance which have two occupant that are said to be in-house staff of AP Moller Terminal concealed in the ambulance 10 cartoons of 225mg of the said drugs.
Investigation reveal that the stolen Tramadol were pilfered from an undeclared container at the Ap Miller Terminal. Physical examination further revealed that 211 cartoons of the drugs were missing from the container.
Abba-Kura who disclosed that the duty paid value (DPV) of the stolen drugs stands at fifty -nine million, three hundred and seventy-eight thousand, three hundreds and thirty-two naira, nine kobo(N59,378,332.09), express displeasure toward these economy saboteurs and their unpatriotic attitude despite efforts by Nigeria Customs Service to rid the nation of illicit drugs.
” It is regrettable to state here that while the Nigeria Customs Service is working round the clock to free this country of illicit goods, some recalcitrant and unpatriotic citizens are not relenting in their desperate urge to sabotage our efforts.
“Ordinarily nobody would suspect that such act can be committed by supposed stakeholder’s that ought to be collaborating with the service to rid the nation of these harmful drugs.
The Ambulance used in conveying the pilfered Tramadol
” The Commands strategy of 24hours surveillance in and around the port has continued to yield desired results”he quipped.
He however added that preliminary investigation is on going as the command is currently working hard to ascertain the level of involvement of other members of staff of the AP Miller Terminal with the view of getting to the root of the incident so as to take the appropriate action.
Abba-Kura added that the command, in the last 12 working days of July 1st through 15th, the command has collected the sum of twenty billion, twenty-seven million, six hundred and thirty-eight thousand, nine hundred and twenty-our naira (N20,027,638,924.00)
