Customs seizes fake drugs, recovers N426m from importers

The Comptroller General Strike Force Unit of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), said on Wednesday that it intercepted unregistered and fake drugs imported into the country through the nation’s seaport.

Ahmadu Shuaibu, the coordinator of the unit, said the unit also recovered N426.4million as debit notes collected on imported goods that were under-declared at the seaport.

According to him, the Unit also impounded supermarket goods, smuggled foreign parboiled rice among others smuggled items intercepted by the unit.

“Sequel to conscientious documentary checks, the ICT component of the team recovered the sum of N426.4 million from demand notices (DN) raised within April till this month. The money recovered from demand notices could have been lost to unscrupulous importers,” Shuaibu said.

He said the seizures are products of credible intelligence and meticulous documentary checks, adding that the government’s rationale for prohibiting the importation/exportation of some of these goods is to safeguard the nation’s socio-economic and health wellbeing.

While giving the breakdown of the items seized within the period under review, he said the seizures include 575 bales of secondhand clothing, 1,1440 cartons of supermarket goods, 664 cartons of drugs without NAFDAC number, 530 cartons of footwears, and 1,600 bags of foreign parboiled rice.

Shuaibu, who decried unlawful importation of textile materials into the country, said that importation is killing the nation’s textile industries and jobs meant for teeming youths in the country.

He warned importers to cease importing goods, which have a negative impact on the nation’s economy and the lives of Nigerians.

“While we appreciate our patriotic traders for their compliance with the Customs and Excise extant laws, we employ the cooperation of all international traders to imbibe compliance in the interest of the nation’s socio-economic wellbeing and security,” he said.