The Federal Operations Unit, Zone “B” of Nigeria Customs Service in Kaduna said it had confiscated four trucks laden with smuggled goods with a duty paid value of N176.976 million.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Abubakar Usman, said this on Thursday in Kaduna shortly after displaying the seized items.
According to him, the seizures were made within three days after the lockdown was imposed by the state government to stop the spread of COVID-19.
He said one of the trucks was conveying 125 bags of smuggled rice concealed in bags of maize
”While 119 bags of smuggled rice were sandwiched between water melon,” he said.
The command spokesman said that 63 bales loaded with 6,300 pieces of textile materials, 284 bundles of 5,680 pieces of Shadda were also seized.
”Other items sized include 213 bags of NPK 15-15-15 fertiliser which falls under the import prohibition list and violates section 46 of Customs Excise and Management Act, CEMA, CAP C45 LFN 2004.”
He said four suspects were arrested and would be investigated as well as prosecuted accordingly.
Mr Usman assured Nigerians that the officers in the zone would not relent in their efforts in reducing snuggling to the barest minimum.
He warned smugglers to desist from the illegal acts which served as a threat to the nation’s economy.
NAN
