Customs intercept contraband worth N356.2M

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that items included used clothes, Indian Hemp, used vehicles, rice, second hand clothes, substandard cables, frozen poultry products and others.

The Customs Area Controller in charge of FOU Zone ‘A’, Comptroller Garba Mohammed, disclosed this on Wednesday in Lagos.

Mohammed handed over the intercepted items to officials of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON). the National Agency for Foods Drugs and Control (NAFDAC) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Lagos.

According to him, the 128 seizures were made between Aug. 29 and Oct. 3 after intensified unit’s operational modalities to meet up with the current smuggling tactics.

“We have intercepted various contraband with DPV of N356,205,050.78, while the seized items include 11 used vehicles, 4,227 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice, 84 parcels of India Hemp, 249 bales of second hand clothes and 980 cartons of frozen poultry products.

“We also intercepted 907 pieces of used tyres, 268 pairs of used shoes, 198 Jerry cans of vegetable oil, two containers of substandard electric cables, one container each of scraps and wet blue leather, seven containers of wood and three containers of medicament.

“In Sept. 29, based on information, we trailed and evacuated 3,000 bags of smuggled parboiled rice from 10 houses along Waterside in Ere Village, Ado-Odo Local Government of Ogun State.

“Each of these houses had three exit doors for their nefarious activities and as we were evacuating the rice from one house to the other, the villagers were busy packing the rice into the bush through other exit doors.

“Apart from 11 vehicles, which two of them are Lexus Jeep GX460 and RX330, we also have another 17 assorted vehicles of various models in detention.

“The vehicles were evacuated from car marts due to infractions noticed in their documents and as I speak with you, the owners have not been able to provide Customs papers, which we have given them enough room to provide,’’ Mohammed said.

He said that eight suspects had been arrested in connection with the seizures.

The controller said that of the criminal cases, one person had been convicted and sentenced to seven years imprisonment.

He commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Retired Col. Hameed Ali, and the entire management for providing the necessary assistance and logistics that brought about the feats.

Mohammed also commended the media as well as other sister agencies, adding that sensitising and educating the public would stop smuggling to the barest minimum.

An Assistant Director in the Lagos Office of NDLEA, Mr Abdul-Azeez Uthman, commended the efforts of the NCS.

Uthman assured the Customs of continuous collaboration until the perpetrators stopped the criminal acts.

Also speaking, an Assistant Director, Compliance Directorate, SON, Mr Chike Makwe, described Mohammed as “Mr Standard” for intercepting the two containers of substandard cables from China after the containers escaped from Apapa Port.

“This is one of the nefarious acts perpetrated by some importers either as a result of false declaration or they did not get clearance from SON in terms of SONCAP and so on,’’ he said.

Markwe said that usage of substandard cables were hazardous and they could burn buildings.

Mr Declan Ugwu, an Assistant Director, (Investigation and Enforcement) in NAFDAC, said that the seized products did not pass through due processes before coming into the country.

“Customs told us it had NAFDAC registration number, but our worry is the way the consignments came into the country through false declaration.

“When products are coming into the country, they should pass the GCS text in India or CRIA text in China before coming into the country.

“As they come into the country, the drugs should go through stamping, but I understand that these two containers of Lemdafil 100mg, Acipep Antacids and Ciprogyl injection 200mg, did not do so.

“We suspect that the importer did not do proper registration and we are also going to verify the NAFDAC registration number that came with those products.

“We find out these days that the way the criminals are bringing in fake products is that they will copy a NAFDAC registration number of another registered products and affixed it on the products they are bringing into the country,’’ Ugwu said.

He urged importers to always follow due process in bringing pharmaceutical products into the country to save the lives of Nigerians.

Ugwu said that NAFDAC would carry out thorough investigation on the products and inform the public immediately.