By Ahmed Ahmed Bauchi
The Federal Operations Unit, (FOU), Zone D of the Nigeria Customs Service, (NCS), Bauchi has impounded contraband goods worth N1.1 billion between January and August 2023.
Acting Controller of the Zone, Mr. Joseph Adelaja stated this while briefing Journalists on the activities of the Zone in Bauchi .
Adelaja explained that for the period under review, the unit had made a total of 88 seizures.
“With cumulative Duty Paid Value (DPV) of all the seized items stands at One Billion, One Hundred and Seventy Eight Million, Eight Hundred and Twenty One Thousand, Thirty Three Naira Only N1,178,821,033” said Adelaja.
He said the unit had intercepted contraband that included 9-sacks of Pangolin Scales and Claws weighing 396.4 kg.
According to him, Live birds African Crowned Crane, one live Antelope Gazelle, a piece of lion bone, and a plastic container of lion fat.
Others were 88 cartons of insecticides. 342 Packs of foreign candy, 190 cartons of flavored powdered drinks, 23- sacks of used shoes, 1800-Bags of sugar 50 kg each, 343- bags of fertiliser, UREA/NPK.
The Contraband included 328 bags of 50 kg foreign rice, 66 cartons of foreign Soap, 50 cartons of foreign spaghetti,
Also, 54 Jerrycans of foreign vegetable oil 25 liters each, 3 units used imported vehicles, 11 vehicles as means of conveyance and 174,585-liters of petroleum products.
The acting Controller said the seizures were made possible as a result of robust information gathering and credible intelligence sharing by other customs units and resilient patrol officers of the unit.
He appealed to patriotic citizens to provide credible information to the service to curb the menace of these unscrupulous smugglers who are bent on crippling the economy of the great nation.
The Customs boss warned that anyone caught in the act would be dealt with according to the provisions of the law.
