Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, said it seized rice worth N597.7 billion brought into the country through the borders between January, 2016 and August, 2016.
The Public Relations Officer of the service, Mr Wale Adeniyi, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said the worth of the commodity confiscated during the period was higher when compared with N330.5 billion value of the good seized in the same period in 2015.
He said the increase in the seizures was an indication that the customs was operating zero tolerance to illegal importation of rice.
Adeniyi said that the service’s rapprochement Newswith its counterpart in the Republic of Benin also facilitated the spate of confiscation of rice along the borders between both countries.
“Our seizure of rice from January to August was N597.7 billion as against N330.5 billion during the same period in 2015; this shows a huge increase.
“The number of seizures from the statistics shows that smugglers now know that it is no longer profitable to bring in rice through the borders.
“So, since importation of rice is now restricted to the ports as even smugglers with one bag of rice are arrested.
“We have a number of arrests, particularly those using motorcycles, donkeys and even small vehicles.
“Rice is a bulk cargo imported into Nigeria. After the meeting we had with our colleagues from the Republic of Benin, we went all out on zero tolerance on importation of rice,’’ Adeniyi said.
He said that the volume of rice coming into the country through the borders was currently relatively low, adding that more of the commodity were being brought in through the ports.
Also yesterday, the Ogun State command of the NCS said it intercepted 33 cartons of fake drugs valued at the cost of N20m being illegally imported into the country through the Nigeria/Benin Republic border at Idiroko.
Ogun Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Waindu Multafu, who briefed journalists yesterday in Idiroko border town about the seizure, explained that the contrabands were confiscated when NCS operatives raided an unregistered warehouses located at a creek side near Ipokia town in the Ipokia Local Government Area of the state.
Multafu stated that the NCS personnel, acting on a tip-off, invaded the creek warehouse from where they seized the contrabands which comprised of fake antibiotics and anti-malaria intra venus injections.
The NCS Area Controller further disclosed that all the contrabands, which include 6 cartons of Fluclox injection, 4 cartons of Meropen injection, 4 cartons of Gold win dusting powder, 4 carton of Ondecan injection, 5 cartons of Meropen injection, 7 cartons Himadium capsules, 6 cartons of Artemether anti-malarial injection among others were evacuated and safely deposited at the customs premises in Idiroko.
While handling over the consignments to the representative of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Multafu explained that no arrest was made in connection with the contrabands.
He however, assured that his command would be keeping surveillance on the warehouse with the possibility of unveiling the ownership of the warehouse.
Speaking with journalists after taken possession of the contraband, the NAFDAC Officer in Charge of Port Inspection Directorate, Datol Bitrus Andrew, said the action of the customs will go a long in saving lives of several thousands of Nigeria who would have patronised and consumed the fake antibiotics and anti-malaria drugs.
Datol lamented that the importers of the substandard drugs were not nabbed, saying such arrest would have served as a deterrent to others who engage in such dastard act.
He also assured that NAFDAC will continue to synergize with the customs as well as other sister agencies towards ensuring that illicit drugs and food items are prevented from finding their way into the country.