The Seme border area command of the Nigeria Customs Service said its operatives evacuated 2,300 bags of smuggled rice with a Duty Paid Value of N57million in various houses within Gbaji community.
Addressing newsmen at the weekend in Seme, Controller of the command, Comptroller Muhammed Aliyu said the intention of the smugglers to confront the officers was averted through the collaboration with the Nigerian Army 243 Reece Battalion Badagry.
He said, “The synergy led to the house to house operation and evacuation of the smuggled product where they were kept,”
The Controller used the occasion which coincided with the Customs Community Consultative Forum in which the Baale of Gbaji border community was in attendance to appeal for corporation with the host communities in curbing trans-border crimes.
He expressed appreciation to the existing cordial community relationship and called on the leaders to further sensitize their youth not to join forces with the smugglers who may not come from their immediate communities to destroy the peaceful co-existence between the command and the host communities.
He warned that no amount of intimidation by the smugglers to use the Seme border route for smuggling activities will be tolerated adding that the command will continue to work with the Army and the communities to nip the activities of smugglers in the bud.
He enjoined the host communities to give intelligence report to the command of any smuggler under their domain in order not to portray the community as collaborators harbouring illegalities within their domain.
Controller of the command, Comptroller Mohammed, Aliyu commended the effort of the Commanding Officer 243 Reece Battalion Col. U.B Garba for his prompt response in partnering with the command to the actualization of the mandate of the Nigeria Customs Service.
While reiterating his commitment to work in line with the federal government policies at the land borders, the Controller warned officers to desist from conniving with trans-border miscreants in their quest to indulge in trans-border crimes at all times.
Aliyu commended the effort of the Commanding Officer 243 Reece Battalion Col. U.B Garba for his prompt response in partnering with the command even as he pointed out that anti-smuggling operation being one of the Service core statutory responsibilities will be enforced to the later until smuggling activities is reduced to the barest minimum at the land border.
Meanwhile, the command said it generated a total sum of N638million in the month of September, 2017.
The anti-smuggling operation unit of the command also made a total of 21 seizures with a DPV of thirteen million five hundred and eight thousand, four hundred and five naira only N13.5million in the month under review.