The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) said it has destroyed 1,393 cartons of imported frozen poultry products seized by the Customs Comptroller-General Strike Force in Lagos.
A Customs Deputy Comptroller, Usman Yahaya, attributed the seizure of the smuggled frozen poultry products to a combination of the unit’s intelligence and enforcement capacity.
He said, “The CGC Strike Force seized 1,393 cartons of frozen poultry products on November 11, 2019, with a Duty Paid Value of N13,372,800.00.
“The frozen poultry products totalling 1,393 cartons were being smuggled and conveyed in 10 vehicles. Smugglers were getting sophisticated and the customs have devised sophisticated means to counter them and renew effort to give them a run for their money.
“It was obvious that with the border closure, creeks would be their next options, but the officers are keeping vigil as the command will continue the onslaught until the smugglers retreat.”
Yahaya reiterated that the community relationship between the officers and villages along the coast had been of benefit to the success and it had come to stay.
He added that the availability of operations tools and personnel motivation instilled prompt response in the men whenever any alert was raised.
The Deputy Comptroller maintained that the importation of frozen poultry products remained prohibited, adding that destruction of the products was in compliance with the Federal Government’s policy on imported poultry products.