Efforts by the Federal Government to stem smuggling and importation of harmful goods into the country have paid off as over N50 billion worth of goods have been confisticated from the dubious importers.
Findings also revealed that no fewer than 143 smugglers have been arrested within the period in connection with various contraband at the borders and ports between January and November 2023.
Some of the seizures include guns, hard drugs, fake foreign currencies and foreign parboiled rice. Others are matchets, used vehicles, foreign poultry products, tomato ketchup, used clothes, among others.
One of the seizures also include a 62 trailers load of foreign rice, 218,575 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and other contraband with a duty-paid value of N4.02 billion were intercepted in yhe first six months of the years.
Apart from the ports, the Nigeria Customs Service also held 60 smugglers in connection with some of the seizures in the Western part of the country.
The Acting Controller, Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Hussein Ejibunu, listed other seizures as 14,015 (7,728) parcels of Indian Hemp, 1,064 bales of used clothing, 450 x 106 kg drums of carbide, 2 x 20 containers of unprocessed wood,1,448 pieces of foreign rugs, 30 units of used motorcycles, 44 units of used vehicles (Tokunbo), 218,575 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 860 cartons of foreign poultry products and 833 pieces of used tyres.
He noted that the service’s ant-smuggling activities was set up with the aim of protecting Nigerian economy, prevent revenue loss and discourage unlawful activities, especially those that contravene the Customs extant laws.
He said: “Prominent among the seizures is rice which amounts to 36,742 X 50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice equivalent to 62 trailer loads. Some of them were ferried through bush paths using motorcycles and rickety vehicles as means of conveyance.
Also, the anti-smuggling unit intercepted 14, 825 litres of Premium Motor Spirit ( PMS), 5,033 pieces of donkey’s hide and skin concealed in 730 sacks in a 40 feet container and other contraband valued at N1.2 billion from the South West axis of the country.
The service stressed that nine smugglers were arrested in connection with the illegal goods, noting that 14 trucks of 50 kilogrammes parboiled rice (7,381 bags) were intercepted in October 2023.
Ejibunu also listed other seizures as 657 pieces of used tyres, 167 (202 kilogrammes ) parcels of Indian hemp, 39 bales of second hand clothes, 100 packs of tomato ketchup, four units of used motorcycles and 600 cartons of GIV soap.
At the Tincan Island Command, NCS intercepted 206,000 pieces of finished matchets, 1,048 cartons of Tilde basmatic rice and other contraband with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N41.85billuin at Tincan Island Port.
Some of the seizures are 2,594 pieces of ammunition and 20 pieces of Arms comprising of 1 Pistol with 611090 (S/W) model JCP 40mm, 1 Used Co2 Air Pistol with accessories cal 117(4.5m)BM, 1 Marksman repeater pistol, & Mace pepper gun and 10 suspected arms of various types.
The service at Seme Border Command impounded $6million fake currency from trafickers.
The money is equivalent of N2.763 billion at exchange rate of N460.52 per dollars.
It also bursted an international passport syndicate operating along the borders in January 2023 at Gbaji checkpoint.
According to the command, the smugglers promised to bribe the customs officers with $150,000 original currency in order to allow the fake currency passed into the country, noting that some of the currencies bear the same serial number, stressing that it would be be very difficult for anyone to identify them as fake.
Four smugglers were arrested in connection with the seizures by officers on patrol along Gbetrome base.
Also, 1,300 by 30 liters jerry can of PMS equivalent 39,000 liters roughly over one fuel tanker of PMS with duty paid value of N9.36million were seized, noting that the products were seized along the creeks.
Other items seized include 55 sacks containing 550 pieces of donkey skin with Duty Paid Value of N11.37million.
Also, this year the Joint Border Patrol (JBP), Sector 2, South West Zone impounded a bullion van, drugs, foreign and local currencies and other contraband valued at N6.17billion.
The Coordinator of the team, Comptroller of Customs, Mohammed Nuru Hassan explained that between August 2019 and January 2023 in the Southwest of the countey.
Also, it noted that 701 means of conveyance were seized during the period.
In March, the service’s Federal Operations Unit, Zone C intercepted five sacks of pangolin scales, hard drugs and other contraband worth N2.75 billion in the South-east and South-south.
The zone arrested 13 suspects in connection with the seizures between January 25th and March 25th 2023.
It would be recalled that NCS arrested 344 smugglers in connection with 1,724 trucks load of smuggled foreign rice valued at N3.02 billion in one year across the country.
The seizure is an equivalent of 1.03 million bags of 50 kilogrammes of foreign parboiled rice.
The service explained that of the 344 suspected smugglers, 291 suspects were arrested between January and December 2022, while 53 arrested between January and May 2023.
The National Public Relations Officer of the service, Aliyu Maiwada explained that the seizures were made between May 2022 and May 2023.
It was gathered that farmers had decried the incessant cases of smuggling of rice through Nigeria land borders.
However, Maiwada said that import duty on the seizures was N1.7 billion, while the total Duty-Paid Value was N4.74 billion.
He noted that the most seizures were done in June 2022, with about 266 seizures of 13,775 bags of smuggled rice worth N260.54 million.
However, the highest number of seized bags of rice was recorded in September 2022, with 118 seizures of 96,312 bags of rice worth N295.88 million.
Also, the highest value of seizures was N420.84 million recorded in February 2023, which comprised 172 seizures of 12,239 bags.
Maiwada said: “We have our data and there is no country in the world that has stopped the activities of smugglers or smuggling 100 per cent. We also know how vast and porous the border lines are, and we know the number of human resources we have, even though more are coming.
“Some are currently undergoing training and will be coming in the next few months. We also have facilities that are coming in. So we are doing everything possible to make sure that we curtail smuggling to the barest minimum.”
