FOU, Zone ‘C’ Intercepts Contraband Items Worth Over #510m In 3 Months
FOU,Zone‘C’Intercepts Contraband Items Worth Over #510m In 3 Months
By Asuquo Nuwak
…Records over #536m as revenue during the same period
In accordance with the Comptroller- General of Custom’s policy thrust of collaboration, innovations and consolidation to record highest level of revenue, suppression of smuggling activities and enhanced trade facilitation, the Federal Operations Unit, Zone “C” of Nigeria Customs Service, has seized contraband goods with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) N510,920,000.00 between July 15th to September 15th 2024.
The Customs Area Controller of Federal Operations Unit, Comptroller Michael Ugbagu, revealed this to newsmen while presenting the seized contrabands at Government Warehouse, Aduwawa, Benin City, Edo state.
Comptroller Michael Ugbagu, said the sum of N25, 573, 125 . 00 was recovered from demand notices raised based on some infractions noticed, making a cumulative sum of 536,493,125 within the months under review.
The Customs Area Controller, noted that the duty paid value derived from the seized goods included 49,699 sachet of various brand of tramadol, 3,350 bottles of various cough syrup with codeine without NAFDAC registration number, 1,015 sacks of dry donkey meat and skin, 75 jumbo bales of second hand clothing, 463 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 269 pieces of used pneumatic tyres , and 56 cartons of smuggled foreign tomatoes paste.
According to a press statement, the seized items were intercepted along Ewu-Okada/Benin expressways based on credible intelligence report.
He recalled that effort towards combatting the illicit trade on endangered species is to ensure that such animals don’t go into extinction.
He however recalled that Nigeria is a signatory to Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) categorizes which is under absolute prohibition making trade either importation or exportation illegal globally.
He said in 2017, there was a policy statement by the National Council on Agricultural and Rural Development prohibiting massive slaughter of donkeys in Nigeria so as to curtail its extinction at various donkey heads.
In addition to this, Comptroller Michael Ugbagu, disclosed that donkey meats and its part is a sellable commodity in Asia, especially in china due to its value for both human consumption and partly for medical components.
He therefore stated that no part of donkey is a waste commodity, hence the major reason why Animal Disease Control Act 2022, further supported the empowerment of Nigeria Agricultural and Quarantine Service to monitor, track and regulate both importation and exportation of animals and animals’ product.
Comptroller Michael Ugbagu, also hinted that intelligence report made available has shown that when it was hard for smugglers to transport the donkey meat in container, they decided to devise another means through the use of luxurious buses to ferry it at night to their destination.
According to the rule of law, these donkey meats will be destroyed in the presence of other relevant regulatory agencies, as they are all partners in progress. In the words of Comptroller Michael Ugbagu: “We cannot afford to lose our donkeys on the altar of illicit exports, especially in considering their economic importance for agricultural and other purposes”.
He said, no matter what the intentions of the smugglers and their patronizers are, the Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘C’ will not relent in their resolve to protect wildlife and ensure that the economic future as a country is protected.
He however, thanked the Comptroller- General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, and his entire management team for their efforts so far in providing needed incentives and necessary logistics that aided their performance, adding that upon management directive the edible items seized so far will be treated accordingly.
He equally called on newsmen to join the Nigeria Customs Service in the advocacy campaign against the hazard of smuggling to the nation’s economy, and to all well-meaning Nigerians to support the service with necessary intelligence and information that could assist the Service to arrest and punish smugglers in the interest of our fatherland.
Comptroller Michael Ugbagu, warned all economic saboteurs who will use this ember period for their nefarious acts to have a rethink, as the Unit will make sure they count their losses.
Comptroller Michael Ugbagu is quoted as saying that: “No amount of distraction will stop his men from carrying out their statutory responsibilities within the areas of jurisdiction”.
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