Customs Arrests ‘Policeman’ With Smuggled Rice, Impounds N42.7m Items

Customs Arrests ‘Policeman’ With Smuggled Rice, Impounds N42.7m Items

Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Katsina State Area Command has confiscated tiger nuts, foreign rice and vehicles, among other items worth N42.793m.

The command also said a suspect, who claimed to be a policeman, was arrested with 25 bags of smuggled foreign rice.

The acting controller of the command, Deputy Comptroller Dalha Wada Chedi, disclosed this at a press briefing on Wednesday in Katsina, saying the seizures were made from February 1 to date.

Chedi said the command had seized 400 bags of tiger nuts, worth N10,560 million in a DAF truck, with the duty value of N6.750 million.

“During the period under review, we were also able to seize 432 bags of foreign rice, worth N10.454 million, and vehicles, with the value of over N10.9 million.

“Also, our operatives succeeded in confiscating 309 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 55 cartons of foreign macaroni, 68 jerry cans of vegetable oil and 284 kegs of petroleum motor spirit (PMS),” he said.

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The controller added that the command intercepted 69 cartons of foreign cream milk, 30 cartons of foreign condensed milk and 15 bales of second-hand clothing.

Other items seized, according to him, were 40 wraps of second-hand clothing and six cartons of medications.

He said, “It is pertinent to disclose that on March 23, we arrested one used Toyota Sienna space wagon conveying 25 bags of foreign parboiled rice, one carton of foreign spaghetti and one carton of foreign

“The said vehicle, with the inscription, ‘Federal Joint Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement against Multiple Taxes and Levies, along with Nigerian Highway, Kaduna State Command, was arrested along Katsina-Kano road.

“The suspect claimed to be a police officer and we found in his possession four different identity cards, among other things.

“The identity cards are: Police ID card, Citizen for Peace and First Aid Mission of Nigeria, Nigeria Association of Agric Produce Dealers (NAAPD), in partnership with ALGON, IMAN Federal Representative of Nigeria Taskforce, Kaduna State.”

Chedi said the over 253 cartons of seized veterinary medicaments had been handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).