The Adamawa State zonal office of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, said it has arrested smugglers and seized elephant tusks, buffalo horns and other goods worth hundreds of millions naira around the River Benue axis.
Speaking to newsmen on Tuesday on the seizure, customs comptroller in charge of Adamawa and Taraba state, Kamardeen Olumoh said that the command stepped up its anti-smuggling war which has led to several seizures.
Mr Olumoh disclosed that the seized items include: Elephant tusks, buffalo horns, used tyres and tricycles, 12 motor vehicles, 22 motorcycles, and 204 bales of second-hand clothing.
READ ALSO: Customs, NAFDAC destroy 58 containers of tramadol, other illicit drugs worth N14.7b
Others seizure are: 2,527 of 50 kilograms of foreign parboiled rice, cartons of spaghetti and 52 drums of petroleum product (PMS) with each drum containing 230 litres.
According to him, the duty paid value for all items seized is N80,598,476,23.
He noted that engagement with border communities has yielded result in crunching smugglers, saying that, “among border communities visited include Gurin, Wuro Bokki, Wuro Alhaji, Mubi and Gembu.
“This is all in an effort to encourage the communities to partner with customs in the battle against smuggling.”
The Comptroller explained that there had been strategic and operational collaboration between the Nigeria custom and that of Cameroon on how to manage the security challenges along the borders of the two countries.
According to him, the synergy was mainly through, “enhanced security surveillance and mutual exchange and sharing of cross border trade data.”
