Rice Bags |
The Nigeria Customs
Service, NCS, said its command in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara zone had
intercepted 506 bags of foreign rice concealed in bags of beans smuggled
into the country.
The command's
Controller, Nasir Ahmad, made this known to journalists on Wednesday in
Sokoto, and said that the seized consignment had payable duty value of
N12.5 million.
Mr. Ahmad said that the items were intercepted on Friday by officers of the command on patrol along Sokoto-Illela road.
He said that the command had competent intelligent officers, investigating specialised activities.
The controller
explained that smugglers deployed different tactics in perpetrating
their illegal businesses and reassured the public of the command's
readiness to confront smuggling and enforce government regulations.
He called on people
residing in border communities to assist Customs authorities with
useful information to combat smuggling of goods into the country.
"The present case
is different as smugglers packaged two bags of rice in bigger beans bag
disguising that they were conveying beans in the truck," Ahmad said.
According to him,
smugglers are using various structures, including residential buildings,
to store smuggled items in peace-meal before uploading to a truck.
Mr. Ahmad said
smuggling was crippling the nation's economy as it deprived it of
revenue, crippled industrial growth, endangered population and
employment.
He commended
Comptroller-General and officers of the Service for supporting
anti-smuggling and revenue generation drive of the present
administration.
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