The Acting Comptroller of the Katsina State Customs Area Command, Deputy Comptroller Dalha Wada says, the command will continue to counter the new strategies being adopted by smugglers operating around the border towns in the state.
Dalha was speaking to newsmen when he took them round items seized by the command within a period of 3 weeks, spanning July 8 to August 3, with a total duty paid value of the 23 items at sixty-point one million Naira.
The 23 items seized were categorized into vehicles, which included, 13 assorted cars worth 42.1 million Naira duty paid value, and general goods, made up of food and non-food items worth 18 million Naira duty paid value.
Also Read: Customs seizes goods worth N82.5 million in Katsina State
According to the Acting Customs Area Comptroller, President Muhammadu Buhari’s policy of closing the border is for the good of the nation, hence, condemning the activities of smugglers, whose unpatriotic and illegal businesses is killing the economy of the country.
He added that, while the command will continue to frustrate the efforts of the unrepentant smugglers, it will keep on sensitizing the public, especially those around the border towns, about the ease of doing business and trade facilitation.
The Katsina Acting Customs Area Comptroller further said, the professionalism and adequate briefings to the officers, resulted in the zero recorded during the period under review.
He said the command arrested 2 suspects who are currently on administrative bail, as a result of the courts being on vacation.
Also Read: Customs intercepts goods worth N101 million unpaid duty in Katsina State
Top on the list of the food items is the seizure of 314 bags of 50 kilograms of foreign rice, worth 7.6 million Naira, 227 Jerry cans of 25 litres each of foreign vegetable oil, worth 5.5 million Naira, with 42 bags of 50 kilograms each of Dates, worth 2.3 million Naira.
Others include bags of foreign fertilizer, maize, soya beans, animal feeds, 178 cartons of foreign spaghetti, kegs of petrol, and 4 motorcycles.
Editor: Ena Agbanoma
