Customs intercepts N200m worth of goodsfrom smugglers in Katsina

Ten different items with a Duty Paid Value of over N200 million have been intercepted in Katsina state by the state Customs Area Command.

Some of these items were evacuated from different stores of smugglers while others were intercepted at various locations in the state.

The Acting Comptroller of the command and Deputy Comptroller of the Nigeria Customs Service, DC Dahiru Kirawa disclosed this to journalists on Thursday in the state capital while revealing the modest achievements recorded so far by the command from January to date.

The arrest according to Kirawa was made as a result of credible information and intelligence gathered from various informants of the command.

He, therefore, appealed to smugglers to completely desist from the business as it’s not only injurious to the Nigerian economy but also the entire security architecture of the country especially in this trying time of Corona virus pandemic.

“For those that think they escaped or evaded the duty payment or prohibition from the officers and men of the Nigerian Customs Service in the field, we are working round the clock to get them arrested because we have the legal barking to visit any store or place with reasonable suspicion to bring those goods out.” Kirawa added.

Items seized include: 123 bales of secondhand clothing which is absolutely prohibited, 477 bundles of textile materials, 1,844 bags of rice, 626 Jerry cans of vegetable oil and 91 Jerry cans of petroleum products.

Other items seized include: 1,148 cartons of noodles, 1,200 units of foot-wears, 186 bags of sugar, 56 units of used vehicles, 198 cartons of baby sweets, chocolate biscuit and condense milk as well as 132 units of Cooking Gas Cylinders.