From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The Nigeria Customs Service Kebbi Area Command has intercepted one trainer fully loaded with 800 bags of white sorghum with a duty paid value of N6.2 million heading abroad through Kamba road.
The Customs Area Controller, Kebbi State Command, Mr Joseph Attah, confirmed this during a press conference at the Command’s headquarters, Birnin Kebbi.
Attac, who also showed some prohibited items seized by his officers, disclosed that 208 jerricans of 5,225 litres of PMS,18 jerricans of 450 litres of AGO, one DAF truck used as a means of conveyance, 39 bags of foreign parboiled rice, five cartons of medicaments and ten bales of second-hand clothing among others were intercepted.
According to him, “the command has intercepted one trailer fully loaded with bags of grains. The outbound Daf truck, with Reg. No. JEG 27 XB was intercepted by officers and me of the Command along Kamba-Bunza on Sunday, 15th May 2022.
” Physical examination of the truck revealed that it contained 800 bags of white sorghum with a Duty Paid Value of N6,227,200.
“Earlier, last week, one trailer was intercepted by our vigilant officers conveying the same white sorghum along Kambroad. But upon the driver’s failure to produce an export document, the truck was detained in our Headquarters and was later released on the compassionate ground with the owner promising to return the product to their warehouse for domestic consumption.
“But upon the release of the truck, they went and transloaded the content into this very truck we intercepted in order to beat our officers’ checks,” he said.
Attah explained that the ongoing crisis between countries known for grain production has created uncertainty in the global market, and stressed that it was imperative to secure the locally produced grains so as to avoid being plunged into a food crisis.
He added that the duty paid value of other items seized, PMS, AGO and others in the period under review worth N27,667,659 have been remitted to the Federal Government.