The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has seized a vehicle loaded with 600 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice belonging to Dangote Cement Company.
The Customs Area Controller, Peter Kolo, who disclosed this at a press briefing on Wednesday revealed that three people were arrested including the truck driver.
He confirmed that the bags were being conveyed to the eastern part of the country, adding that the truck was intercepted in the Ijoun border area of Ogun State.
Mr Kolo noted that investigation was ongoing to unmask the persons behind the massive smuggling activity.
In a report by Punch Newspaper, the command intercepted a truck belonging to the Nigerian Bottling Company used to smuggle contraband goods into the country in March.
“On the seizure of contraband goods made by the command in the month of April, 7,000 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice or equivalent of 12 trailer loads were seized.
“500 book sizes of cannabis, popularly known as Indian hemp, along with the vehicles used as means of conveyance were also seized.”
According to him, the smuggling of foreign rice is frustrating the Federal Government’s rice and agricultural policies.
The controller said various quantities of poultry products, cannabis sativa, vehicles and other means of conveyance, used clothes and shoes, used tyres, sugar, tomato in retail form, body creams and petroleum products for export were also seized during the period under review.
“The cumulative Duty Paid Value for the seizures in April amounted to N189, 923,293.
“The Federal Government’s directive on border closure is still subsisting.
“A sum of N225, 000 was generated from the auction of seized petroleum products and scrap metals in the month of April.”
Mr Kolo however, declared that men and officers of the command would sustain the onslaught against smugglers despite several attacks on Customs personnel by smugglers and their promoters.
