By ANAYO OKOLI

UMUAHIA —THE Zone C Area Command of Customs Services has seized contraband worth over N174 million in its South East and South South area of operations in the last one month.

Consequently, Area Comptoller in charge of the zone, Mr. Victor David Dimka, warned smugglers in the area to steer clear of the zone.

According to him, “every effort shall be made to deliver on and sustain the transformation agenda of the Comptroller-General of Customs(CGC), Alhaji  Abdullahi Dikko Inde.

“I will therefore not hesitate to wield the big stick on any recalcitrant officer in this zone, the same way some will be punished, adequate reward, recognition and encouragement awaits every outstanding officer of this unit.”

A breakdown of the of seizure for the period indicated that a 1 X 40 foot container was impounded with 549, 50kg bags of rice with a Duty Paid Value, DPV, put at N5,435,100.00.

Other seizures included such goods as bales of used second hand clothing, furniture materials, used curtain fabrics, rubber slippers,  printed wax textiles,used tyres, frozen turkey, chicken poultry products, all worth  millions of Naira.