The Nigeria Customs Service on Thursday said it has seized 1, 500 bags of smuggled rice and vegetable oil valued over N65 million in Kaduna. The Controller of Federal Operation Unit Zone B of Nigeria Customs Service, Usman Dakingari who stated this on Thursday while conducting newsmen around the seized items said the goods were loaded in two trailers and concealed using raw groundnut and ginger.
He disclosed that the trucks contained over 1,500 bags of rice with duty paid value of about 60 million naira while the vegetable oil has duty value of N5 million.
According to NAN, the controller explained that the items were recovered based on intelligence information from officers and some patriotic Nigerians. Dakingari further said that the unit had seized hard drugs including Tramadol and Viagra as well as two vehicles on Abuja-Lokoja highway. He warned that the Nigeria Customs will not tolerate increasing cases of smuggling.
“The command will not tolerate any act of smuggling activities in the zone and we are ready to bring all economic saboteurs to book.”
Meanwhile, the seized drugs were handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). Mrs Nzekwe Mukosolu, an Assistant Director with NAFDAC, who received the seized hard drugs on behalf of the Agency, advised the public to purchase drugs only in registered premises.
“If you check for NAFDAC number and it's not there, then the quality of the drug is not certain. The seized drugs will not be allowed into the market because they will be injurious to health; we will take them to our holding facilities and destroy them.
“In terms of collaborative effort, this is just a further proof that we are working hand in hand in this regard and looking forward for more of this landmark relationship,” she added
