Kehinde Ayanboade,
The Nigeria Customs Service, Oyo/Osun Command on Wednesday said that over 3,252 bags of 50kg Imported Parboiled rice, 319 pieces of 25litres keg of Vegetable Oil and other exhibits of have been recovered from smugglers in the first and second quarter of the Year 2019.
The Command’s comptroller Abdullahi Zulikifli disclosed this at a press briefing held at the Customs House, Secretariat Road, Ibadan on 7th of August, 2019.
Zulikflu revealed that the command with the assistance of sister security agencies has also been able to seize 36 bails of Second Hand Clothing, 61 pieces of Used Tyres, and the total of 6 pieces of Tokunbo cars including a Toyota Highlander, Toyota sequodia, and others adding that 35 suspects have been arrested with 5 cases already in court.
He noted that the command have been able to generate the total of N23,878,395,911.8k (+23 billion) between January to July, 2019 surpassing the total of revenue generated in the year 2018 adding that the command recorded 7,951 seized items between the first and second quarter of this year.
Comptroller Zulikifli maintained that smuggling is injurious to the Nigeria economy “lands that are arable and available for farming have been neglected leaving the country to depend on foreign supply of goods and services that can be produce domestically.”
He further advised all traditional rulers and religious leaders to educate and sensitize people in their various communities about the risk that evolves in engaging in the illicit act of smuggling.
He then commends the Governor of Oyo state, Engr. Oluseyi Makinde for acknowledging the call of the Command to admonish the people of Kishi community on the repercussion of making their community inaccessible to officers of the service through age-old hostility.
Meanwhile a Customer Outpost have been sited and commissioned in Irepo Local Government Area of Oyo state so that smuggling can be curbed especially in that area that is prone to the bad act.
