The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) over the weekend announced a single seizure of contraband with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N10billion.
Acting Controller of the unit, Usman Yahaya, said the seizure, which comprised 34 fairly used and new vehicles laden with second hand clothes, Indian hemp and foreign parboiled rice were made in one day at Ido –Eruwa, Ibadan in one day.
“Some economic saboteurs met their waterloo when our operatives acted based on credible information, made a single seizure at Ido, Eruwa Road-Ibadan of Oyo State,” a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the unit, Peter Duniya, quoted Yahaya as saying.
Yahaya noted that although there were stiff resistance from the smugglers who engaged the support of hoodlums, the Customs operatives displayed high level of professionalism and restraint to secure the contraband to the Customs warehouse in Lagos.
“Our operatives were met with stiff resistance from a combination of smugglers, hoodlums and villagers. However, with the application of high level of professionalism, the patrol teams were able to bring all the vehicles down to Lagos without any casualty,” he said.
The controller warned smugglers to desist from engaging in economic activities that sabotaged the government policies of making Nigeria self sufficient in food production.
“While we appreciate the support and the cooperation of patriotic members of the public in carrying out our mandate by providing timely and useful information, however, recalcitrant economic saboteurs should note that, they would continue to count their losses because we
are better mobilized, organized and backed by the extant laws to be always ahead of them,” he added.