The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit Zone “C,” Owerri, Imo State, has intercepted contrabands with a duty paid value (DPV) of Five Hundred and Ten Million, Nine Hundred and Twenty-Two Thousand, naira only (N510,920,000.00), between July 15th to September15th 2024.
Comptroller Michael Ugbagu disclosed this while showcasing the seized contrabands at Government Warehouse, Aduwawa, Benin City, the Edo State capital.
Speaking at the government warehouse, through a press release by the Command’s CPRO, CSC Jerry Attah, Comptr. Ugbagu said: “Based on our intervention, we recovered the sum of Twenty Five Million, Five Hundred and Seventy-Three Thousand, OneHundred and Twenty-Five naira only (N25,573,125.00) from demand notices raised based on some infractions noticed, making a cumulative sum of Five Hundred and Thirty-Six Million, Four Hundred and Ninety-Three Thousand, One Hundred and Twenty-Five Naira only (536,493,125), within the months under review.
“The duty paid value above, was derived from our seized goods which include: 49,699 sachet of various brand of tramadol, 3,350 bottles of various cough syrup with codeine without NAFDAC no., 1,015 sacks of dry donkey meat and skin, 75 jumbo bales of second hand clothing, 463 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 269 pieces of used pneumatic tyres , and 56 cartons of smuggled foreign tomatoes paste. The items above were mostly intercepted along Ewu-Okada/Benin expressways, based on credible intelligence.
“More worrisome is the interception of 49,699 sachets of various brands of tramadol, 3,350 bottles of various cough syrups with codeine without NAFDAC registration numbers, because of its adverse effect on our youths if these items get unnoticed; 1,015 sacks of dry donkey meat and skin.
“As you may recall effort towards combatting the illicit trade on endangered species is to ensure that such animals don’t go into extinction. Hence, Nigeria, a signatory to Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) categorizes its under absolute prohibition making its trade either importation or exportation illegal globally. Back home in Nigeria, in 2017 there was a policy statement by the National Council on Agricultural and Rural Development prohibiting massive slaughtering of Donkeys in Nigeria, so as to curtail its extinction at our various donkey heads.
“But as you maybe aware, donkey meats and its part thereof is sellable commodity in Asia, especially in china due to its value in all ramifications, both for human consumption and part of medical components. Therefore, no part of donkey is a waste commodity. This was supported by the Animal Disease Control Act 2022, which further empowers Nigeria Agricultural and Quarantine Service to monitor, track and regulate both importation and exportation of animals and animals’ product.
“Intelligence made available to us was that when the hit was hard on them when transporting the donkey meat in container, they now devised another means, using luxurious buses to ferry it at night to their destination. As permitted by law, these donkey meats will be destroyed today in the presence of other relevant regulatory agencies, as we are all partners in progress.”
Comptroller Ugbagu further added: “We cannot afford to lose our donkeys on the altar of illicit exports, especially considering their economic importance for agricultural and other purposes.
“No matter what the intentions of the smugglers and their patronizers are, we will not relent in our resolve to protect wildlife and ensure that our economic future as a country is protected.“ Comptr. Ugbagu stated.
The FOUC Comptr. in the meantime, thanked the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and the entire Management Team of the Nigeria Customs Service, for their efforts so far in providing the needed incentives and necessary logistics that aided our performance and we believe that upon management directive the edible items seized so far will be treated accordingly.
He equally used the medium to call on members of the forth estate of the realm, to join the Nigeria Customs Service in the advocacy campaign against the hazard of smuggling to the nation’s economy, and to all well-meaning Nigerians to support the service with necessary intelligence and information that could assist the Service nip in the bud, all forms of smuggling, in the interest of our fatherland.
He, finally used the opportunity to warn all economic saboteurs, who will use this ember period for their nefarious acts to have a rethink, as the Command will make sure they count their losses.
According to the FOUC boss, no amount of distraction will stop his men from carrying out their statutory responsibilities within their areas of jurisdiction.
