Customs seizes counterfeit items worth N78.6m in Kebbi
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kebbi Area Command, says it has seized assorted counterfeited items worth N78.6 million in October in the state.
The Customs Area Controller, Mr. Joseph Attah, stated this while briefing newsmen on the commands activities for the month of October in Birnin Kebbi on Wednesday.
He said that the command recorded successes in the core mandates of the service of suppression of smuggling, revenue generation and trade facilitation.
“Revenue generation drive of the command has continued to witness a gradual increase.
“In the period under review, we generated a sum of N162. 2 million as revenue from import duty. This is the highest since the reopening of Kamba Border.
“The Command equally facilitated the formal export of locally manufactured goods worth over N2 billion in the period under review,” Attah said.
He said that the command directed their operatives to intensify vigilance across vast bushes and all the waterways in their undaunted effort to nip smuggling activities in the bud within the nook and crannies in the state.
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“To this end, the effort yielded 16 seizures of assorted items which include, but not limited 284 parcels laptop size of cannabis sativa, 4 used vehicles, which are: two used Honda civic cars, one used man diesel truck and one tipper truck.
“Others are,139 bales of second hand clothes, 345 bags of foreign parboiled rice (50kg each), 2,250 litres of PMS, 38 cartons of whitening (bleaching) cream, 80 pieces of solar batteries, among others.
“The Duty Paid value of the seized items stands at N78.6 million,” he said.
Attah expressed the command’s commitment to ensure that those who choose to import or export goods through Kamba do so with the highest level of compliance to lay down regulations.
“You will agree with me that while other seized items are financially quantifiable, we cannot quantify the level of damage dangerous drugs and other substances cause in the society.
“Such substance when unleashed in the society serves as catalyst for all the major crimes we see in our society.
“The seized cannabis will be handed over to NDLEA Kebbi State for further necessary action,” he said.
He commended their trading community for improved level of compliance, saying,”we look forward to voluntary total compliance.”
The controller assured that the command would continue to pursue their given mandate of suppression of smuggling undeterred in spite of the challenges encountered from greed citizens supporting the criminals against their operatives.
