Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone D Bauchi, intercepted contraband which Duty Paid Value was put at N126.560m, from January to date.
The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone D, with headquarters in Bauchi, consist of Bauchi, Gombe, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Plateau and Nasarawa states.
Comptroller of the zone, Mr Adesanmi Omiye, made this known while displaying the seized goods before journalists on Thursday in Bauchi.
He said the operatives of the unit, apart from blocking and suppressing smuggling within the zone, had made seizures of contraband.
“The unit’s concerted efforts in suppressing smuggling activities have continued to yield good results despite the insurgency in some parts of the zone.
“The Cumulative Duty Paid Value (DPV), of all the seizures is N126,560,131.25K,” he said.
Omiye said that the goods include 605 bags of 50kgs foreign rice, 7 used vehicles, 54 bales of second hand clothing, 215 cartons of foreign soap, and 42 cartons of spaghetti.
Others are 102 pieces of dried donkey skin, 69 sacks of used shoes, 150 jerry cans of petroleum products, among others.
Omiye said, “The action of our operatives is in line with the provision of section 8 and 158, the power to patrol freely of Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA), Cap C45 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, as amended.
The Comptroller added that unprecedented seizures were achieved as a result of sharing of information, intelligence gathering and doggedness of the officers of the zone in making it unbearable for smugglers.
Omiye appealed to Nigerians to provide genuine information that could help in curbing the menace of smuggling in the zone and the country at large.
“Eradicating smuggling in this country will boost the economy, which will make the Federal Government to provide social amenities to the citizenry,” he said.