The Nigeria Customs Service has seized N71.7m worth of items from suspected smugglers in Adamawa, Taraba between August and September, according to Garba Bashir, the Customs Area Comptroller.
Bashir said this on Thursday in Yola, Adamawa State, while briefing reporters on the command’s anti-smuggling campaign.
Bashir stated that the seized items include 1,115 Jerry cans with a capacity of 25 litres each and 26 drums with a size of 220 litres each filled with petrol, totalling 33,595 litres intended for smuggling into the Republic of Cameroon.
Three vehicles used by the alleged smugglers, 200 bags of foreign flour weighing 50 kg apiece, 57 bags of foreign parboiled rice weighing 50 kg each, and ten bales of used clothing are among the additional items named by Bashir.
“It is worthy to note that the PMS showcased here today were apprehended from various borderlines in Adamawa and Taraba states.
“Items will be auctioned to the general public immediately due to its inflammable nature in accordance with NCS Act, 2023 and standard operating procedures”, Bashir said.
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He urged officers to stay attentive and totally committed to the ongoing fight against all sorts of smuggling activity.
He also exhorted smugglers to recognise that their actions were hindering economic progress and encouraged them to engage in respectable enterprise.
“We will not relent in this fight against illegal trade until we bring smuggling activities to ground zero in Adamawa and Taraba states,” he said.
He sought sustained help from security agencies and concerned individuals by supplying the command with credible intelligence on smuggling activities.
