The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and its Beninoise counterpart have taken delivery of a new cargo scanning machine donated by the European Union at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) joint border post, Seme-Krake.
Addressing journalists at the border post on Tuesday, the Controller, Seme Area Command of the NCS, Comptroller Muhammed Uba, said the scanner, which is currently being test-run, would be maintained by ECOWAS for two years.
He said Customs officers of both countries havCustoms take delivery of new cargo scanner at Seme bordere been trained on how to read images from the scanner, stating that when operational, it would facilitate trading activities at the border post.
He said with the deployment of the scanner, Customs would only subject goods to physical examination only when in doubt of scanned image.
“Officers have been trained; both Benin and Nigeria Customs Service along with other agencies who are on the stage in the cargo clearance process. The scanner is bought by the European Union for both Nigeria and Benin. All types of trucks will be passing through the scanner and officers who have been trained will read the images and whatever is inside the truck, the officers will know. In any case where the image is not clear, the truck will be subjected to 100 per cent physical examination.
While briefing journalists on the activities of the command, Uba said the command generated a total of N2.7 billion in revenue and seizures between March and May 2019.
The seized items, he said, include 14 trailers of foreign rice, 13 vehicles, 2,268 parcels of cannabis sativa and 31 jerry cans of vegetable oil.
Others are 35 bags of sugar, 138 litres of petrol, 336 cartons of alcoholic drinks, 71 cartons of food seasoning, 175 bales of textiles, 15 sacks of used clothing, 410 sacks of school bags, 2000 cartons of expired biscuits and a truck load of 493 packs of baby diapers.
He said six suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures.