The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Special Strike Force has intercepted 5,448 bags of 50kg imported rice within the last seven days.
According to data provided by the Service on the smuggled rice, 4,200 bags were seized in Mopa, Kogi State last Saturday while 1,248 bags were seized within the creeks of Ogun State, last week Monday.
Briefing journalists on Monday on the Service’s activities that culminated in the seizure and the arrest of suspects, the National Coordinator of the CGC Strike Force, Abdullahi Kirawa, said that the seizures were results of collaboration with the Police, Department of State Security (DSS), Customs Intelligence Unit, the military and other stakeholders.
Kirawa, a Deputy Controller of Customs, disclosed that the Mopa seizure was successful as a result of inter-agencies’ intelligence gathering and processing, adding that the Task Force remains committed to prosecuting the war against smuggling.
According to him, the arrested suspects were being interrogated so as to get to the importers who smuggling the rice through land borders before they will be charged to court.
He explained: “We gathered that this current consignment came in through the land border. They moved through Ilorin, but we arrested the smugglers at Mopa village. There are seven trucks we impounded. Each is loaded with at least 600 bags of 50 kg rice. That is a total of 4,200 bags.
“However, we are enjoying the support of the Customs management in fighting smugglers. We want to reduce smuggling to the lowest level possible. Smugglers are economic saboteurs and must be treated as such”, Kirawa added.
