Customs Seize Contraband Worth N114.5m In Seme

The Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has said it seized contraband worth N114.5m in three weeks.

The command also disclosed that it generated a total revenue of N4.4bn between January and June.

The Customs Area Controller, Seme Command, Mohammed Garba, said this on Monday while briefing journalists at the border.

He said the revenue represented 65 per cent of the 2019 target set for the command.

Garba listed the seized items as N70m worth of foreign parboiled rice; N11.8m carpets and foot mats; N15.7m poultry products and N7.5m cars.

Others are vegetable oil, sugar, spaghetti, soap, cannabis, insecticides, hides and skin, textiles, used clothes, tomatoes, used tyres and cream.

He said within the period under review, the men of the command intercepted 7,524 bottles of water worth N3m from a private facility in Lagos, adding the water was smuggled in from China.

Garba said one person was arrested in connection with the seizures while nine trucks were detained for short payment in duty.

On trade facilitation across the border, he assured members of the business community that the command would increase dialogue, enlightenment and robust stakeholder engagements for seamless operations through the modern Joint Border Post, recently established by the customs to improve free movement of persons and goods.

He advised all unit heads to ensure adequate supervision of their subordinates in order to facilitate legitimate trade across the frontier while keeping a healthy relationship with critical stakeholders.

“This will ensure that our core mandate as directed is achieved. The holistic approach in executing the mandate of the service will lead to an all-encompassing result as revenue generation, suppression of smuggling and legitimate trade facilitation will be adequately enhanced at the Lagos-Abidjan corridor without compromising national security,” he stated.