From: Laide Raheem, Abeokuta

The Ogun Area command of the Nigeria Customs Service says it has intercepted and seized goods worth about N45 million from smugglers in one week.

Controller in charge of the command, Sanni Madugu, disclosed this, on Tuesday, while briefing journalists at the Quarry Road, Abeokuta headquarters of NCS, on the efforts of the command to combat smuggling in the state.

According to Madugu,  the seizure which included eight exotic vehicles, with duty paid value of N36, 382,500, a Scania truck, used to conceal and convey a mini bus, 50 bags of rice and eight bales of used clothings, valued at N5,160,000, were intercepted in Abeokuta Axis of the command and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, respectively.

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The State Controller, said though no suspect was nabbed during the operation by his men, strategies had been put in place to ensure smugglers are henceforth arrested during any seizure.

Madugu, further stated that the officers and men of the command, through motivation and enhanced welfare package, are poised to fight smuggling to standstill in Ogun State and block all illegal routes being used by smugglers.

Meanwhile, the Controller, said that Ogun Area Command, in the last two months, seized goods worth N464, 415, 818m from smugglers.

Giving the breakdown of the seizures which included vehicles, bags of rice, motorcycles, kegs of vegetable oil, frozen poultry products, footwear and Indian hemp, Madugu said “in the month of September, we seized goods worth over N87,160, 224m, while it was a bounty seizure in October as we intercepted and seized smuggled goods worth N377, 255, 818 million”.