The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kwara State Command has disclosed that it seized over 48 sacks of Marijuana, popularly called Indian Hemp worth duty paid value of over ₦244 million recently from smugglers in the border towns of the State.
The state Controller of the NCS, Mr. Hussain Bello Ahmed disclosed this to journalists in Ilorin yesterday, while handing over the items to the state Commandant of the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Mr. Ambrose Umar, at Ilorin.
He said that, “When I assumed office, we have engaged traditional rulers, teeming youths and other critical stakeholders on the dangers of smuggling most especially dangerous drugs such as Marijuana, tramadol and others.
“As part of our efforts to reduce the ugly trend of drug consumption in the state, we have made seizures of 48 sacks containing 3,593kg of Marijuana without any suspect as smugglers abandoned the drugs on sighting officers of the command with the duty paid value at N237,138,000
“And another separate seizure of 129kg of Marijuana with a duty paid value of N7,740,000 were also recorded which brought the total paid value seized drugs to N244,878,000”.
He stated that the affected consignments were at different times seized from smugglers along Bokoro in Baruten local government and along Ilorin/Jebba road in Moro local government areas of the state.
He said the suspects having sighted customs officers on patrol abandoned the sacks and fled.
Ahmed added that “It might interest you to know that the NCS is aware that NDLEA is a federal agency established and charged with responsibilities of eliminating the growing, cultivating, processing, selling, trafficking of hard drugs and investigating persons suspected to have dealings in drugs and other related matters”.
Ahmed, however, said the ban on importation of foreign rice, used vehicles through land borders, vegetable oil, second-hand clothing, used tyres, and other dangerous drugs like Marijuana, tramadol are still in place, vowing that, “Kwara command of NCS is poised to enforce the order to the latter”.
Receiving the seized items, the state Commandant of the NDLEA, Mr. Umar lauded the gesture of the NCS in the state for the major breakthrough in its efforts to rid the state of hard drugs.
Source: THISDAY
