From Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
The Nigeria Customs Service’s Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT), North Central Zone, Sector 3, has announced that it has made 35 contraband seizures with a total duty paid value of N28 million.
Briefing reporters in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital on Wednesday, on the activities of his team, JBPT Coordinator, Comptroller Olugboyega Peters, who disclosed that smuggling activities have drastically reduced in the zone to about 15 per cent, said the items seized include 637 bags of 50kg of foreign parboiled rice, 795 kegs of 25 litres of PMS, 15 units used vehicles and 14 cartons of condensed milk.
Others are four cartons of batteries, 14 tin tomatoes paste and three bags of sugar.
The coordinator attributed the feat to the ‘good motivation from the Nigeria Customs Service Management, Office of the National Security Adviser and other sister agencies which has boosted the morale of officers and have kept them in high spirit at all times,’ adding that the sector would not in any way be distracted from executing its mandate despite series of attacks on their operatives by daredevil smugglers and hoodlums in the course of their duty.
‘The sector will continue to dialogue, engage, sensitise and educate the public, particularly the people along the border axis on socioeconomic implications of smuggling as well as the performance of the sector’s statutory functions of enforcing partial border closure in line with federal government’s fiscal policies,’ he said.
Comptroller Peters commended the press for its support to the sector, as well as other allied authorities for robust cooperation being received from them by the sector.