The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit Zone B, says it has seized contraband products worth over N400m during various operations within North-West and North-Central regions.
Among the seized items are thirty-seven bales and four rolls of police camouflage uniforms stuck inside a container and the arrest of four suspects in connection with the seizure.
While briefing newsmen on the activities of the service between November to December 2023, the Comptroller of Federal Operations Unit Zone B, Dalha Chedi said the seizures and arrests were made along the Lokoja-Abuja Expressway based on credible intelligence.
During the Thursday briefing, he disclosed that the onslaught by operatives of the zone against smugglers also led to a total of 71 seizures of 12 different items intercepted at various locations in the zone, which are of grave implications to the health and safety of Nigerians.
The comptroller explained that the unit also made several seizures worth over N4b in 2023 in duty-paid value representing a one hundred percent increase in seizures made in 2022 worth over N2 billion.
Similarly, the Kaduna Area Command of the Nigerian Customs says it generated over N16 billion from import and excise duty in 2023, signaling a 21.93% increase as against that of 2022.
According to the command’s spokesman Muhammad Aminu, this is the first time the command collected over N2 billion as revenue, noting that the office of the customs area controller is accessible to the importers, exporters, and other terminal operators.