By Udeme Clement
The Federal Operations Unit, (FOU) Zone ‘C’ Owerri, of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 29 prohibited items with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N1billion and under payment recovery of over N54 million.

The Unit swiftly arrested 18 suspects in connection with the seized items. The confiscated items include 2,522 bags of foreign rice, 61,333 cartons of imported foreign poultry products, 720 cartons of foreign vegetable oil, 1,618 cartons and 1,466 pieces of furniture, 269 pieces of unused tyres. Others were 1,964 pieces of spare parts, 39 pieces of used compressors, 29 bales of second hand clothing, 480 pairs of used shoes and   9 assorted vehicles.

The Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Unit, Comptroller Mohammed Uba   Garba disclosed this, saying that the items were seized along South East and South-south geo-political zones of the country, through reinvigorated anti-smuggling activities of the Unit.

He said, “The 18 suspects who were arrested in connection with the shady deal are now undergoing interrogation for possible prosecution.Beyond the above statistics, the seizures represented protection of the nation’s economy and security of the citizenry. Let me state clearly that it is simply not enough to inform you about the seizures and its DPV, what is of paramount importance is that we are implementing government’s policies that would boost our economic growth to provide employment.  Many 50kg bags of imported foreign rice seized were cleverly re-labeled by the smugglers to beat security checks on the roads, and to give  false semblance of locally produced ones. Just as some items such as body sprays were criminally used to conceal other unauthorized imported seized items”.

He regretted that accidents had continued to occur on the nation’s highways as a result of the rampant use of second hand tyres being imported by smugglers, stressing that the ban on importation of furniture and rice was meant to encourage public patronage and consumption of the locally produced ones to further boost the nation’s economy.

“If the rampant incidence of rice importation is allowed to go on, it would definitely discourage local production and consumption with a devastating effect on our economy.”

The Customs boss, however, made it clear that his men were not out to frustrate individuals who are into genuine business but are only interested in facilitating legitimate trade, stressing that those in legitimate business have noting to fear, as the Service is poised to detect, arrest and prosecute only those who fail to comply with the relevant positions of the law.

He further appealed to members of the public with useful information about smugglers, their agents and collaborators to make such information available to the Service or to other sister agencies for necessary action. He added that the 29 seizures made was as a result of official intelligence gathering and information supplied to his men by some patriotic Nigerians.