ZAINAB JUNAID
Kebbi Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has made several seizures of uncustom items worth one hundred and twenty six million, two hundred and seventy eight thousand, nine hundred and fifty nine naira, sixty kobo (₦126, 278, 959.60K) street value.
Comptroller IHEANACHO ERNEST OJIKE, Customs Area Controller of the Command, who disclosed this at his maiden Press Conference held on Friday, April 19, 2024 at the Command’s Headquarters, Birnin Kebbi to brief journalists on activities of the Command for the last two months, equally handed over seized drugs to Sister Agencies – National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA) and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control(NAFDAC).
The Area Controller revealed how the Command intensified the fight against smuggling to curb its menace by engaging in intense patrols throughout the nooks and crannies of Kebbi State. “We make use of Intelligence to enhance our operations, and we also engage in sensitizing the host communities as to the dangers of smuggling. Of course, smuggling is injurious to the economy as well as wellbeing of the citizens, and also, smuggling portends grave danger to the security of the nation.
“Our operations so far have yielded positive outcome leading to several seizures of items within the period under review as detailed below: 212 bags of foreign parboiled rice of 50Kg each and 28 bags of 25Kg each; 200 bales of used secondhand clothing (Jumbo size) and 50 bales of normal size; 10,025 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS); 39 lumps of Indian Hemp (Cannabis Sativa); 78 rolls of Diclofenac Sodium; 300 wraps of diazepam tablets 5mg each; 57 packs of Sex enhancement drug (Black Diamond);150 Expired Powdered Milk; 50 pieces of used tyres and 20 pieces of rims; 20 cartons of foreign spaghetti; 20 bags of foreign sugar; 10 jerrycans of vegetable oils.
“The combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seized items is one hundred and twenty six million, two hundred and seventy eight thousand, nine hundred and fifty nine naira, sixty kobo (₦126, 278, 959.60K). The PMS value is not included in the DPV because is given at our revenue generation section as receipts from auction sales,” he stated.
Speaking further, Comptroller Ojike noted that the remarkable achievement was as a result of resilience and courageous effort of the Command’s Operations teams, Intelligence Unit, Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT) and collaboration with sister agencies.
The Indian hemp according to him will be handed over to National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), while Diazapem tablets will be given to NAFDAC as the appropriate agencies to attend to the respective substance.
On trade facilitation, the Controller recalled how the Command have been engaging stakeholders on the need for legitimate trade, saying “We have met with traditional rulers and their subjects to further enlighten them on the dangers of smuggling of border communities. We also collaborate with relevant sister agencies to also enhance our operations in terms of security and intelligence to improve legitimate cross-border trade with our neigbhours.
“It is notable to mention that exportation of grains are still restricted, and we are here to ensure they do not leave the shores of these country as it has become imperative to secure our locally produced grains so as to prevent our country from plunging into food crisis,” he concluded.
