The Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, the Nigeria Customs Service, has arrested 14 suspects. All in connection with seized 9,917 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice and other contrabands. They made this arrest at various locations within the South-West states.
The Acting Customs Area Controller in charge of the command, Comptroller Hussein Ejibunu. Further disclosed this recently while displaying the seized contrabands to journalists.
He said the arrests and seizures in May, the seized items had a cumulative duty paid value of N818.124 billion. Some items seized were: 9,917X 50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice equivalent to over 16 truck-loads; 812 bags of 5Kg and 120bags of 2kg basmati rice; 41,950 litres of Premium Motor Spirit; 4X20 Ft containers of unprocessed wood, among others.
The Customs’ boss blamed the desire of Nigerians to consume foreign parboiled rice. As the reason for the higher rate of smuggling of the product. ”Citizens are, once again, reminded of the need to support and key to the federal government’s policy. Which is aimed at supporting the growth of its local product,” he further said. Ejibunu explained that during the period, officers of the unit were on high alert along the port and border corridors to ensure that the national economy remained protected.
During the preceding month, officers of this unit were on high alert along the port and the border corridors to ensure that the national economy remains protected from the activities of recalcitrant importers and traders.
-Punch.