Following a gunfight in the area of Idiroko, Ogun State, the Federal Operations Unit, FOU Zone A, of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, reported yesterday that it had apprehended one pump action rifle, two locally produced firearms, and 35 live cartridges from smugglers.
The agency also revealed that it had recovered N107.8 million in unpaid duties from commodities cleared at border crossings and at seaports.
Customs Area Controller, CAC, of Unit, Hussein Ejibunu, revealed this at a briefing in Lagos yesterday. He said goods with Duty Paid Value, DPV, worth N633.4 million were also seized last month.
7,328 50 kilogramme bags of imported parboiled rice, 121,550 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, 68 cartons of frozen poultry, and 37 crates of eggs intended to hide rice are among the things that have been impounded, according to Ejibunu.
According to him, other items include 150 kilograms of Indian hemp, 10 pieces of military camouflage bags, 1,955 bales of used clothing and six units of used cars all in the month of September.
The Customs boss said: “The unit made a series of seizures with total Duty Paid Value, DPV of N622.4 million. In our efforts to prevent losses to the government, we also recovered the sum of N107.8 million.
“The Federal High Court passed judgements in favour of this Unit on three criminal cases; securing the conviction of six people for being in possession of smuggled goods. While six civil suits against the Unit were dismissed for lack of merit.
“This is the highest single seizure of used clothing made by the service this year, and we have commenced an investigation to know those behind this massive importation, and at what entry point these clothes came into the country.
“Smuggling of used clothes has economic and health implications on our people. The government in its wisdom, wants the local textile industry to enjoy the protection and create more jobs for Nigerians from the cotton farms through the textile and garment factories to our markets.”
“This is coming at a time the world is wary of monkeypox whose mode of transmission includes clothing. According to a World Health Organization fact sheet, Monkeypox is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, or with materials contaminated with the virus.”