The Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Border Area Command, on Wednesday said it had intercepted wraps of Cannabis sativa (Indian hemp), rice, condoms and other contraband items with duty paid value of N409.8 million since the reopening of the border.
The Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Command, Bello Jibo, disclosed this at a news conference at ECOWAS Joint Border Post, Seme-Krake.
He said the items, smuggled into Nigeria through the border, include 232 wraps of Cannabis sativa, 98 used vehicles, 5,568 bags of rice and two sacks of condom.
Jibo said the items were smuggled into the country from December 17 when the Federal Government announced the reopening of four land borders to date.
He said that officers of the command had taken full advantage of renewed strategies to intensify the fight against smuggling.
“This has led to remarkable interception of 705 items, the duty paid value of the seized items is N409,851,533 only.
“The breakdown of the seized items is 5,568 bags of 50kg foreign rice, 3,208 Jerry cans of petrol, 98 used vehicles, 294 cartons of frozen poultry products and 232 parcels of Cannabis sativa.
“Others are 798 cartons of tomato paste, three cartons of sugar, six cartons of slippers, 305 pairs of used shoes, 30 cartons of Nescafe, 19 cartons of non-alcoholic wine.
“We also seized 10 cartons of cigarettes, 12 cartons of herbal soap and two sacks of condoms,” he said.