Customs generates N3b in two months in Kwara

The Nigeria Customs Service (NSC) Kwara area command, Ilorin, has generated N3.3 billion within two months.

The command’s controller, Faith Ojeifo, who disclosed this on Wednesday, said the command has remitted the amount realised between July and August into the coffers of the Federal Government.

The NCS boss also hinted that his command intercepted a Daf truck conveying 1,153 parcels of Cannabis Sativa (marijuana) with duty pay estimated at N57.448 million.

According to Ojeifo at a press briefing at the command, the truck with registration number: T-25750-LA worth 21.5 million conveying the banned substance, was also impounded.

According to him, the vehicle was stopped and searched along Yamboa Axis of Bukuro in Baruten Local Government Area on July 3, 2024, at about 5:pm.

“While the search was ongoing, the driver, realizing that the eagle eyes of our officers have discovered that there was concealment, abandoned the truck and fled into the bush to evade arrest; this action on the part of the driver triggered the interest of our operatives,” he stated.

Further search, however, led to the smartly concealed 1,135 wraps of marijuana in both sides and bottom of the fabricated inner space.

He lamented that “It is quite unfortunate that die-hard smugglers will stop at nothing to carry out their evil enterprise.

“In other to trick our officers, they have developed ways of using modified vehicles and motorcycles to smuggle goods. They have even gone as far as displaying their dexterity by skillfully fabricating trucks with false body and bottom mainly to conceal dangerous drugs with the intention to deceive our operatives,” he further said.

Promising to appreciate the officers and men who arrested the culprits, the newly posted Ojeifo boasted that his new initiative to reorganize the patrol teams at border towns and communities in the state has continued to yield results.

“Innovative actions adopted under my leadership at border stations include reorganizing my patrol teams, charging officers in Charge of outstations and border station has yielded positive result,” he added.

Meanwhile, the command was also able to seize 110 kegs of 2,750 litres of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) with a duty paid value of N550, 000 from smugglers taking it to neighbouring countries.

He added that the product has been auctioned and the money realised was remitted into the Federal Government coffers.

He said, “it is difficult to imagine that despite the current scarcity of PMS in the country, some unpatriotic Nigerians still attempted to smuggle this product out of the country through our borders

“Within the period under review, the total DPV of seized items is N42.7 million.”