The Kwara State Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has seized 47 contraband items worth over N448 million from August 2019 to January 2020.
The command within the period generated a total revenue of N4,700,321,883. 02.
The seized items include 16 units of vehicles of various types, 953 bags of foreign rice, 4,357 bags of mosquito coil, 184 Jerry cans of Petrol, and 3,593 kilograms of cannabis sativa known as Marijuana contained in 48 sacks.
Addressing newsmen at the Command’s headquarters in Ilorin, on Wednesday, the Area Customs Comptroller, Comptroller Hussaini Bello Ahmed, frowned at the rate which marijuana was being smuggled into the country, warning that Customs would do everything humanely possible to stop the smuggling of the substance.
“The seizure of 48 bags of cannabis sativa otherwise known as marijuana is another feat recorded by the command, considering the abuse of the substance across the country by our teeming youth.
“This act is very unfortunate, but I want to assure you that Kwara Command will continue to do everything humanely possible to stop the smuggling of the substance so as to guarantee a great and promising future for our youths”, he said.
According to him, the seized marijuana will be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA for further investigation stressing that the suspects abandoned the trailer loaded with the substances and escaped on sighting security operatives.
Comptroller Ahmed, however, emphasized that the Command would continue to dialogue, engage, sensitize and educate the public on the strategic role of Customs to the social and economic stability of the nation.
He also assured that the enforcement of government’s policies would always be accorded utmost priority with strict adherence to extant laws and guidelines.
While commending the synergy between Customs and other sister agencies, opinion leaders, traditional institutions and other key stakeholders, Comptroller Ahmed appealed to Nigerians to support the agency in its anti smuggling war to end the ugly trend in the country.
Source: VON