Customs sacks 2000 officers over corrupt practices

Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Hameed Ali, said the service has sacked and prosecuted at least 2000 personnel in the last seven years for engaging in corrupt practices.

Disclosing this during the Ministerial Media Briefing organized by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday, Ali said the sacked officers were found to have been compromised in the course of the discharge of their responsibilities.

Meanwhile, he revealed that the Service has so far generated a total sum of N2.14 trillion in 2022, with a target to raise about N3.019 trillion in the same year.

The Customs boss noted that the fight against smuggling has assumed a stiffer and more sophisticated dimension, adding that the agency is procuring additional aircrafts to effectively tackle the menace across the borders with the collaboration of the Nigerian Air Force.

Ali warned against the consumption of imported rice because of its implications on human health, as he observed that the product is preserved with harmful chemicals and has short lifespan.

He explained that the NCS engages in constant seizures of the commodity in order to make it inaccessible to consumers.

He, however, said that the seized foreign rice, after certification by NAFDAC, is distributed to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps and the needy, particularly those affected by crisis.