The Federal Operations Unit, Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said expired illicit pharmaceutical drugs worth N1.4bn were seized by officials across the South-West region in March.
Addressing a press briefing in Ikeja area of Lagos recently, acting Controller of the Unit, Hussein Ejibunu said that the Unit also intercepted 11 trailer loads of imported rice in the period under review.
According to acting Controller Ejibunu, “Today’s briefing encapsulates the successes recorded by the Unit in the month of March 2023.
“Our strategies are consistently being reworked in our efforts to be ahead of the economic saboteurs, towards defeating their game of concealment, false declaration, under payment, and duty evasion.
“Prominent among the seizures made for contravening various sections of the extant Customs laws are:6,228 X 50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice (equivalent to 11 trailer loads); 35,325 liters of premium motor spirit (PMS); 279 Cartons of foreign poultry products; 105 parcels (50kg) of cannabis sativa; 2 x 40ft containers said to contain 883 bales of used clothes; 8 units of foreign used (Tokunbo) vehicles.
“The total worth of these goods in terms of duty paid value (DPV) stood at N694,462,150.00.
“Five suspects were arrested in connection with some of the goods.
“While the federal government played its role by imposing trade restrictions in an effort to protect our local companies and farmers from unhealthy competition with foreign firms, the onus lies on its citizens to complement government’s efforts with that of compliance with the Customs’ extant regulations and government’s fiscal policies.
