Niger Customs prosecutes 2 over illegal arms importation

Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has said that the prosecution of two
persons in connection with the illegal importation of 189,000 rounds
of ammunition intercepted in Babana area of Niger state in July, this
year, has begun.

The Public Relations Officer of the Niger/Kwara/Kogi Area Command of
the Service, ASP1 Lomba Benjamin, disclosed this on Friday in a
statement in Minna.

“The ammunition were intercepted in July, this year, around Babana
area of Niger state. Two suspects, a driver and the man who claimed
ownership of the consignment, were arrested and have been charged to
court,” he said.

He said that the illegal ammunition were imported from Contonu, in
Niger Republic, and were being smuggled to Owerri in the Eastern part
of the country before they were incepted in Babana area of Niger state
by Customs.

Benjamin also said the man who claimed ownership of the ammunition
told the Customs that he was going to resell them to hunters in
Owerri, adding that “the ammunition were with duty paid value of N63,
504, 000.

The commander further said the Command “similarly made seizure of 514
bags of foreign rice within this month of October with duty paid value
of N8, 751, 600,”adding that “15 seizures with duty paid value of
N102,270,072 were made within July and September, this year.”

He added that the Command in the third quarter of the year generated
total revenue of N725, 505,088.79 compared with the N534, 115, 012.80
generated in 2017.
Benjamin also disclosed that the Command was looking forward to
“unprecedented performance in the last quarter of the year,” and that
it “will improve in intelligence gathering while applying diplomacy
anti-smuggling strategies in volatile bonder areas.”

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