The Nigeria Customs Service has said that importing what the country can produce is a big threat to the economy.
The coordinator of Comptroller General of Customs Strike Force, Zone A, Deputy Controller, Mohammed Sani Yusuf, addressing journalists at Ikeja, Lagos, recently, on the sidelines of the half–year report of the unit, said that unlawful felling of trees promoted deforestation.
“Specifically speaking, importing what we can produce threatens our economy. Unlawful felling of trees degrades the environment and promotes deforestation while illegal killing of wildlife creatures and endangered species like pangolin and donkeys for their scales and skins respectively, could lead to these animals extinction.”
Yusuf said that between January and June 2022, the strike force made several seizures with duty paid value of over N7bn with four suspects arrested in connection with the seizures.