NCS arrests 44 smugglers in Lagos, Ogun state

By Nafisat Opakojo Opeyemi

The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), on Tuesday  arrested 44 people in connection with N30 billion worth of smuggled goods consisting of rice, illicit drugs, used tyres, vehicles, among many others.

The FOU said the suspects were arrested over 142,677 seizures made beginning from January 1, 2021.

While briefing media men at the unit’s headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos State, the acting Controller of FOU Zone A, Usman Yahaya,also stated that the unit intercepted smuggled foreign rice, used vehicles, textile materials, as well as Indian hemp, worth over N30bn.

He further said the unit also intercepted N51m worth of fake and unregistered pharmaceutical goods in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, and parcels of Indian hemp allegedly smuggled from Ghana to Iseyin in Oyo State.

He noted, “After the opening of the Seme border by the federal government, the smugglers thought they could cash in on it to perpetrate their evil acts, but the unit has left them with heavy losses as evidenced in the seizures.”