The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS),Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone ‘A’, in it’s continuous moves to curb smuggling activities in the zone has over the weekend announced a single seizure of contrabands with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N10billion.
The seizure which was made at Ido-Eruwa road was said to be made in a single day.
This was contained in a press statement made available by the Public Relations Officer of the unit, Peter Duniya.
The statement reads that the acting Customs Area Controller of the unit, Usman Yahaya disclosed that the contraband comprised of 34 fairly used and new vehicles which were laden with second hand clothes, indian hemp and foreign parboiled rice.
Usman Yahaya hinted that the smugglers met their waterloo when the operatives of the unit acted based on credible information, which made the seizure possible at Ido, Eruwa Road-Ibadan of Oyo State.
The contrabands is said toninclude 34 different brands of both new and used vehicles laden with banned items such as second hand clothes, foreign parboiled rice and Indian hemp.
Yahaya hinted further that though there were stiff resistance from the smugglers who engaged the support of hoodlums but the Customs operatives displayed high level of professionalism and restraint to secure the contraband to the Customs warehouse in Lagos.
“Our operatives were met with stiff resistance from a combination of smugglers, hoodlums and villagers. However, with the application ofhigh level of professionalism, the patrol teams were able to bring all the vehicles down to Lagos without any casualty.”
“While we appreciate the support and the cooperation of patriotic members of the public in carrying out our mandate by providing timely and useful information, however, recalcitrant economic saboteurs should note that, they would continue to count their losses because we are better mobilized, organized and backed by the extant laws to be always ahead of them,” he said.
He however warned smugglers to desist from engaging in economic activities that can jeopardized government policies of making Nigeria self sufficient in food production.
