The Coordinator, Joint Border Operation Drill in North Central States, Sector three, Ilorin, Comptroller, Mohammed Uba Garba today said the customs has seized items worth N165, 001, 400 in the last two months.
At a press briefing held on Wednesday to intimate the newsmen on the progress made since January this year, the Comptroller said the seized items include 57 units of used vehicles, 1,355 bags of rice, 17,028 jerry cans of petroleum. Other items include arms and ammunition, second hand clothings, dry yam flour and kegs of groundnut oil.
Comptroller Garba, maintained that the border closure policy of the Federal government has increased the revenue generation for the government with the blocking of illegal routes, which has forced smugglers to bring in goods through the legal routes and pay the appropriate duties. Seven Beninnoise and thirteen Nigerien illegal migrants were also repatriated with seven suspects now on administrative bail.
Uba Garba said the border closure has enhanced revenue generation, suppressed Smuggling, Facilitated legitimate trade and improved national security. He also said the closure has helped in reducing Banditry, Human trafficking and illegal migrants.
Within the period under review, we have made the following Seizures-:
- 57 units of vehicles of various types
- 1,355 bags of foreign rice (50kg each)
- Three (3) Long Single Barrel Guns, Knives and 3 Cutlasses at Lokoja axis of Kogi State Handed over to “B” division Police Station Lokoja.
- Two (2) Long Single Barrel Guns, 8 life cartridges and one locally made Pistol at Kotangora axis of Niger State were handed over to “A” division Police Station Kotangora
- 20 Bags of Dried Yam Flour of 100kg each
- 1,728 Jerry Cans of PMS/Engine oil (25 liters each)
- 155 Drums with Petroleum Product and Lubricant oil
- 16 Motorcycles popularly called Bajaj used in smuggling rice
- 12 Bales of Secondhand Clothing and Textile Materials
- 68 Jerry Cans of Groundnut Oil of 25 liters each
- 322 Cartons of Foreign Cosmetics
- 9 Cartons of Foreign Tin Tomatoes
- 7 Beninoise and 13 Nigerien illegal migrants were repatriated
- We have Six (6) Suspects who were currently on Administrative bail.
Total Duty Paid Value of the above items is One Hundred and Thirty Five Million, One Thousand, Four Hundred Naira (N135, 001,400.00)
The Comptroller assured that the Customs will continue to sensitize, and engage stakeholders especially at border communities on the benefit of border closure.
The sector 3 covers North central states of Niger, Kwara, Kogi and Benue states.
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