- Ag Compt. Kayode Kolade (middle) with other officers displaying the seized Indian hemp at the FOUC, Owerri, Wednesday
By Anthony Nwachukwu
In a renewed onslaught against illicit trade, five sacks of pangolin scales, hard drugs and other contrabands worth approximately N2.76 billion have been intercepted by the Federal Operations Unit, Zone ’C’ (FOUC) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
In addition to these interceptions made between January 25th and March 25th, 2023, FOUC also recovered approximately N61.47 million from demand notices on some discovered trade infractions discovered, bringing all to approximately N2.82 billion within the months under review.
Showcasing the items to newsmen in Owerri, Imo State on Wednesday, Ag Compt. Kayode Kolade said the zone also arrested 13 suspects in connection with the seizures within the period under review.
Kolade, who assumed office on January 25th, said the seizures were among his significant achievements. He listed the other seized items to include 398 sacks of cannabis sativa (Indian hemp) weighing 8,756kg, and 2,308kg of same compressed in 1kg parcels each.
There were also 26 cartons of CMC Cough Syrup, with 2,600 bottles of 100mg codeine, three units of exotic bulletproof vehicles, 931 jumbo bales of second-hand clothing, 484 bags of smuggled rice, 31 cartons of various medicaments, including four rolls of ZH tramadol containing 40 packs, 32 jerry cans of PMS (25litres each) and 540 pieces of used pneumatic tyres.
According to Kolade, the successes so far aligned with his management’s mandate, including “blockage of all revenue leakages, trade facilitation and intensification of anti-smuggling operations at various entry points – seaports, land borders and airports within the unit’s area of jurisdiction in the South-South/South-East zones.
“After reviewing and re-jigging our operational modalities based on the approved Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), the unit lived up to its responsibility by intercepting various contrabands with a DPV of N2,757,676,390 between January 25th and March 25th, 2023, making it my two month’s score card.
“Remarkably, the five sacks of pangolin scales weighing 413.1kg and the 11,064kg of the Indian hemp are the highest, if not the first seizure of such endangered species and hard drugs in the history of Federal Operations Unit Zone C.
“Effort at combatting the illicit trade on endangered species is to ensure that such animals don’t go into extinction. Hence, Nigeria, a signatory to CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species) categorises the scales under absolute prohibition, making its importation or trade illegal globally.
“While the predominantly white belly pangolin scales were intercepted along the Benin-Lagos Expressway, the 398 sacks and 2,308 parcels of Indian hemp were intercepted on Ewu-Auchi Road and Asaba/Onitsha Expressway respectively.
“Also, a 2x40ft containers number MRSU 135969/6 and MAEU 356823/5 carrying 518 bales and 392 jumbo bales of used-clothing, mostly concealed in heavy-duty trucks and buses, were intercepted along the Benin/Okada axis and Umeikaa/Aba Road respectively.
“The 26 cartons of cough syrup with codeine, and 31 cartons of unregistered medicaments, including tramadol, were all intercepted along Asaba/Onitsha Expressway. The 484x50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice were intercepted along the Benin-Okada Expressway.
The three exotic armoured vehicles without customs documents and End-User Certificates, intercepted along Patani/Bayelsa/Port Harcourt Expressway and Okada/Benin Expressway, include two Toyota Land Cruiser 2022 models and a BMW 2022 model, just as 540 pieces of used pneumatic tyres were intercepted along Ihiala/Onitsha Road and Cross River waterside.”
He described the seizures as a further affirmation of the NCS’ determination to enforce all laws relating to the import and export of goods, thereby contributing to the Nigerian economy, security and well-being.
“Only God knows what would have happened if these items, especially the hard drugs, got to their destinations unchecked, considering their security implication,” a statement from the Public Relations Officer, Jerry Attah, further cited him to say.
“The interception of these items and other previously related seizures further justified why you see our field operatives on surveillance patrol along our highways within our areas of jurisdiction as empowered by sections 158, 149 and 150 of the EMA CAP C45 LFN 2004, which allows customs officer to patrol freely, search vehicles and persons respectively.”
He called for improved serenity and cooperation of all stakeholders and the general public to kindly and humbly comply when stopped for search, and show mutual, maximum respect to field officers and the service in general.
He further assured that his officers would always act professionally in the performance of their statutory responsibilities, based on the approved SOP, with a touch of a human face, especially as the festive period nears.
Meanwhile, he noted that without the NCS management’s “incentives and necessary logistics support, we won’t have attained this feat within this short period, and we hope to achieve more,” just as he commended the Customs Intelligence Unit and Customs Police for prompt intelligence sharing, resilience and doggedness.
