A special task force against smuggling, has intercepted smuggled items worth billions of naira in the past one month.
The task force comprises men of the Nigeria Customs Service, Army, Directorate of the Secret Service (DSS), Police, Immigration, Air Force and the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA).
Speaking with journalists in Ilorin at the weekend, the assistant comptroller general of the Customs Service, Aminu Dahiru itemized the seized item.
According to him, the smuggled items include PMS, diesel petroleum products, cars, fairly used clothing, hard drugs and food items.
The seized items were intercepted along Nigeria border towns and market places in Kwara, Niger, and Benue states.
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Dahiru explained that a total number of 600 units of 250-litre drums of petroleum products were intercepted at Chikanda border town in Baruten local government area of Kwara State while being smuggled outside the country.
Dahiru said that 659 bags of suspected foreign rice, 32 empty sacks of foreign rice and sealing machine were also seized from a warehouse in Ilorin.
He lamented that the country had become a dumping ground for all imported items, saying that local production and development had suffered.
The assistant comptroller general in charge of enforcement, investigation and inspection at the national headquarters, who also led the north-central zone of the operation, said that smuggling had gone for too long in the country.
He disclosed that importation of small arms and ammunition had made the country unsecured, while use of second-hand clothing had negative health effect in many communicable diseases.
He called on Nigerians to be united against smuggling and cooperate with law enforcement agents in that regard. Smuggling is stealing from the commonwealth of the nation and makes people lazy,” he said.
