Othman disclosed this in a news statement signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Ernest Olottah, which was made available to SHIPS & PORTS DAILY.
He said that the command made 914 seizures with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N4.39 million during the period.
The Controller said that 26 suspects were arrested during the period and were at various stages of prosecution.
He said that goods seized included vehicles, textiles, rice, vegetable oil, second hand clothes, shoes, bags and artifacts.
“The artifacts were detected and seized by our officers during an intensive search operation based on intelligence. They are internationally valued at about 16,870 dollars,” he said.
Othman said that the command would intensify efforts during the yuletide to stem smuggling, adding that the illegal business would be on the increase during the period.
The CAC said that he had directed that all patrol vehicles, logistics and personnel to be fully on ground. He charged officers and men of the command to strictly keep to their shift duties to ensure the presence of his personnel at all times.
“We cannot afford to be taken unawares at our duty posts either at this period or at any other time as management expects us to be very much at alert. Our core functions of preventing and suppressing smuggling, collecting and accounting for all revenues due to the government, facilitating genuine import and export businesses must be discharged without fear or favour.
“We should through our words and conduct, assure legitimate business people of our support and cooperation at all times, while warning them that the command will not condone any attempt to evade duty payments. Nobody should treat our warnings with levity as not only will we make seizures of prohibited or smuggled items, we will ensure the arrests and prosecution of all persons behind these unlawful acts,” he said.
Othman, however, reiterated the commands believe in zero tolerance on smuggling activities.
He commended the efforts of other security agencies in ensuring that smuggling was reduced to the barest minimum.
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