By Ime Akpan
Lagos
The Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has intercepted a 40ft container of frozen Tilapia fish valued at N22.1 million imported from Turkey.
The Customs Area Comptroller Muhammad Jibrin, said this yesterday when he led journalists to APM Terminals, Apapa, where the container was intercepted.
Jibrin said that the container No: DFOU6122880, was discovered during scanning, adding that the importer made a false declaration that the container was laden with apples.
“Upon scanning, officers discovered the container was containing 2,700 cartons of frozen tilapia fish from Turkey.
“The aforementioned fish species is under restriction.
“More so, importers of allowable species of fish are expected to obtain licence and permit before such importation into the country.
“We have scanners that are working but most of the scanners are inadequate for operations,’’ Mr. Jibrin said.
He said that the command had opened communication with Agriculture and Plant Quarantine Service and the National Agency for Foods, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), in the spirit of collaboration.
Jibrin said that the command had zero tolerance for smuggling and false declaration in line with the policy of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Retired Col. Hameed Ali.
He said the command would continue to uncover and stop any attempt at breaching the law as regards imports and exports transactions through the command.
He, however, advised stakeholders relating with Customs service to be law-abiding “as no stone will be left unturned in enforcing government fiscal policy regulations’’.
Minister of State for Agriculture, Heineken Lokpobiri, those involved in the act were undermining the efforts of government despite the fish importation policy and ban on frozen farmed fish importation into the country.
“It has become necessary for the federal government through the FMARD to address the Nigerian public on the sale of smuggled unhealthy frozen fish, especially farmed tilapia, in Nigeria.
“These smuggled frozen fish are very harmful to the health of Nigerians” he said. (Premium Times).
