Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have stormed a warehouse holding pirated insecticides worth millions of naira in a remote village in Kano State
Customs Area Controller in charge of Kano /Jigawa Area Command, Ahmed Nasiru, disclosed this on Wednesday while parading the bags of faked insecticides at the Bompai headquarters of the Customs in the state.
He explained that the insecticides which consist of several bags of mosquito coils were imported from China by a Nigerian, who had been operating as a front for some Chinese businessmen.
The Customs boss regretted the activities of the smugglers were injurious to the economy, pointing out that Kano has one of the best insecticides factories, yet a Nigerian would rather smuggle in the same product to destroy the company and the economy.
Apart from that, he stated that the fake or imported insecticides have been reported to be dangerous to human health, saying that medical experts had linked these coils to cancer disease in human beings.
The Customs boss, who sought an upward review of the punishments meted out to the culprits, held that already the owner of the consignment has been apprehended.
He said that the Nigeria Customs Service intends to collaborate with the affected company to prosecute the suspect, saying that apart from the offence of smuggling, there is also a case of pirating their trademark.
“This is a breach of their trademark, which is an international issue. Now the question is who took their trademark to China? You are using a company’s name to produce and you are bringing it to the same market where the company is selling….”
He expressed optimism that investigation would lead the Nigeria Customs to the bursting of a international gang, which has perfected the act of pirating Nigerian goods for their selfish ends
The role of the Customs is to help the Nigeria economy, the role of the Customs is to help reduce unemployment to the barest minimum, he lamented while adding that the importation of contrabanded goods into the country kills the nation’s economy.