FRI, JAN 05 2024-theGBJournal|The Nigeria Customs Service Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘B’ seized hard drugs and other assorted goods at various intervals worth about N4 billion in Duty Paid Value(DPV) from 1st January to 31st December 2023, Nigeria Customs Service said.
This, it says, represents a 100% increase in seizures made above the total DPV of N2,345,155,577.38 that was seized in 2022 by FOU ‘B’ across North West and Some North Central states.
The Comptroller of the Unit, Comptroller Dalha Chedi, made this known to pressmen on Thursday, 4th January 2024, at the Unit’s Headquarters in Kaduna State.
He said the Unit made seizures worth 406,924,091.34 from 28th November to 31st December 2023. He explained that the seizures made during the Yuletide primaries were a fulfillment of the Units’ pledge to ensure full compliance with the FGN directives on the closure of all land borders with the Niger Republic.
Seizures made include 195 bags of foreign parboiled rice (50kg each), 240 bales of Foreign Secondhand Clothing, 10 Jerry cans of Foreign Refined Vegetable Oil (25 litres each), 415 Cartons of Foreign Spaghetti, Macaroni and Couscous, 349 Cartons of Foreign New Shoes (Unisex), 500mg of 3,400 Sachets of Foreign Amoxicillin and 35 Cartons of Foreign Flame Lighters.
Remarkably, alongside these 71 seized items was the arrest of 4 suspects on 15th December 2023. The operatives of the Unit, based on credible information, arrested a container truck carrying Thirty-Seven Bales and 4 Rolls of Camouflage Uniforms, among other different items.
Chedi said, “The seized camouflage uniforms, four suspects together with the means of conveyance were all handed over to the State Director, Department of State Security (DSS) Kaduna State Command on Wednesday, 27 December 2023 for further investigation and possible prosecution in the spirit of inter-agency collaboration and having obtained necessary approval from the Comptroller-General of Customs.”
While commending the Nigeria Police, DSS, Military, NDLEA, NAFDAC and the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, and his management team for their usual support to the Unit, he expressed commitment to enforcing the Federal Government Fiscal Policies in accordance with Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
“I also need to assure the citizenry through you, members of the Media, that the operatives of the Unit in this New Year are poised like never before to foil all attempts by smugglers at importing any prohibited goods into its area of jurisdiction as well as recover all underpaid duties into the government’s coffers,” he noted.
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