Operatives of the Zone A Federal Operations Unit of Nigeria Customs Service on Wednesday said it arrested 11 suspected smugglers in connection with smuggling of 53,759 litres of petroleum motor spirit, 7,403 bags of 50kg of foreign parboiled rice and other contraband worth a total duty paid value (DPV) of N671.609 million in the month of October 2022.
The acting Comptroller, FOU, Zone A, acting Comptroller Hussein Ejibunu, who disclosed this during a press briefing in Lagos, said smuggling in whatever guise or form, is an illegal activity that constitutes a crime against Customs extant laws.
According to him, 11 suspects were arrested in connection with some of the seizures by the Unit and are at various stages of investigations.
While giving the breakdown of the seizures recorded within the period under review, he said the Unit seized 121 cartons of frozen poultry product, 724 bales of used second hand clothings, 3 units of used motorcycles, 97 pieces of used tyres, 162 (96kg) parcels of Indian hemp.
He said others include 11 kegs of 25 litres of vegetable oil, 13 units of used fridges, 3,116 pieces of cutlass, 700 rolls of cigarettes, 23 cartons of dates, 9 units of vehicles, 21×40 containers of charcoal, adding that the items were seized along the border and port corridors within the Southwest zone.