The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) under the Joint Boarder Patrol Team (JBPT) said it has intercepted no fewer than 391,631 contraband goods smuggled into the country through south-south and south-east states’ boarders between September, 2020 and February 2021.
The Sector Coordinator 1 in charge of South-South and South-East zone, Comptroller Shehu Abubakar, made the disclosure in a statement signed and made available to Blueprint on Friday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state capital.
The Joint Boarder Patrol Team (JBPT) comprises Nigeria Customs Service, Army Immigration Service, Airforce, DSS and the Nigeria Police Force.
The joint border drill also known as operation swift response which was launched in August 2019 and coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has now transformed into Nigeria’s Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT) as part of a tripartite Operation, comprising Benin, Niger, and Nigeria.
Abubakar revealed that through the operation, 66 suspected smugglers were arrested and 51 irregular migrants were also detained.
He maintained that all the seizures including arrests were in line with the rules of engagement as enshrined in the section 147 and 151 of customs and excise management act cap. C45 LFN 2004.
The Comptroller said the confiscated items were all deposited in the respective government designated warehouses across the zone.
Abubakar said the zone under his leadership carried out series of coordinated intelligence and security operations which include; raiding of suspected shops, warehouses, stop and search operations, interception, of irregular migrants and contraband among others.
According to him, the efforts yielded fruit through “drastic reduction in criminal activities such as sea robbery, kidnapping and violent attacks by pirates due to intensive patrol of the maritime frontier by operatives of JBOD/JBPT.
“Curbed smuggling of petroleum products from Nigeria to nearby countries which led to availability of products even during the Yuletide in littoral states. Reduction in illegal migration through Mfum, Oron, Ikang and other unapproved entering points.
“Reduction in the rate of bunkering activities. It has also helped in reducing inter agency rivalry and strengthen collaboration amongst participating agencies and boost confidence of local Rice farmers which resulted in increased in local Rice production and consumption in the zone.
“The total monetary value of the confiscated items is about 594 million naira,” he added.
The confiscated items include 9,693 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled Rice, 855 bags of 25kg foreign parboiled Rice, 28 bags of 10kg foreign parboiled Rice, 20 bags of 5kg foreign parboiled Rice, 374, 642 litres of petroleum products, 224 bales of fairly used foreign clothes, 299 bags of 16ykg Indian hemp, 509 cartons of fake drugs, 16 vehicles detained while 4 seized.
Others are 507 roles of textile materials, 2 locally made pistols, 2,195 cartons of foreign cocoa butter, 438 cartons of ceramic stainless plates, 1184 bags of 25kg foreign fertilizer, 410 cartons of foreign poultry products, 285 jerry cans of 25 litres of foreign vegetable oil, 161/25 litres of palm oil, 191 bags of white cement, 51 irregular migrants,66 suspects.
However, the Comptroller warned smugglers to desist from such illicit transactions or be ready to face the law, urging that importers and exporters in the zone should exploit Mfum land border in Cross River state which was reopened in December 2020 through the approval of President Mohammadu Buhari.
