By Udeme Clement
In line with the policy of the Federal Government to grow agricultural sector for industrial activities to thrive, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘C’, Owerri has intercepted long trucks fully loaded with foreign imported poultry products estimated at the Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N256.2million brought into the country illegally by smugglers. The Command also arrested three suspects in connection with the contraband items.
The Public
Relations
Officer of the
Unit, Onuigbo
Ifeoma, made
this known to
Sunday
Vanguard in a
statement
signed by the
Customs Area
Controller (CAC)
of the Unit,
Comptroller
Haruna
Mamudu, revealed that the frozen products, which were
cleverly and deceitfully concealed in a Scania truck with
an inscription of ‘DHL’ were seized along the Benin axis
in Edo State.
He said, “The culprits concealed all the prohibited goods in long trucks, in a bid to escape security checks, but the eagle-eyed officers on duty uncovered them. Aside from the negative impact on local poultry industries in the country, there are serious health hazards associated with the consumption of foreign poultry products preserved with chemicals meant for the preservation of dead bodies.
Nigerians should stop consuming these products because a number of untimely deaths had occurred as a result of this. The NCS had continued to ensure maximum media publicity in respect of the dangers posed to human health by imported frozen poultry products and warned those still engrossed in the illicit business to desist in their own interest or face the full weight of the law”.
The CAC regretted that while NCS had remained resolute and consistent in the war against smuggling, those involved in this unpatriotic act had continued to devise and perfect many plans to achieve their illegal ambitions to the detriment of the nation’s economy. “We are battle-ready for smugglers as NCS is now well fortified and better equipped to deal decisively with smugglers wherever they operate with a superlative intelligence gathering system. The suspects already in Customs’ net would be thoroughly investigated and if found culpable, must be made to face the law accordingly.
We are talking of change but regrettably these smugglers are not ready to embrace the change meant for the betterment of our country. We have no other country called ours, therefore everybody must come together to salvage it,” he stressed.
In line with the policy of the Federal Government to grow agricultural sector for industrial activities to thrive, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘C’, Owerri has intercepted long trucks fully loaded with foreign imported poultry products estimated at the Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N256.2million brought into the country illegally by smugglers. The Command also arrested three suspects in connection with the contraband items.
He said, “The culprits concealed all the prohibited goods in long trucks, in a bid to escape security checks, but the eagle-eyed officers on duty uncovered them. Aside from the negative impact on local poultry industries in the country, there are serious health hazards associated with the consumption of foreign poultry products preserved with chemicals meant for the preservation of dead bodies.
Nigerians should stop consuming these products because a number of untimely deaths had occurred as a result of this. The NCS had continued to ensure maximum media publicity in respect of the dangers posed to human health by imported frozen poultry products and warned those still engrossed in the illicit business to desist in their own interest or face the full weight of the law”.
The CAC regretted that while NCS had remained resolute and consistent in the war against smuggling, those involved in this unpatriotic act had continued to devise and perfect many plans to achieve their illegal ambitions to the detriment of the nation’s economy. “We are battle-ready for smugglers as NCS is now well fortified and better equipped to deal decisively with smugglers wherever they operate with a superlative intelligence gathering system. The suspects already in Customs’ net would be thoroughly investigated and if found culpable, must be made to face the law accordingly.
We are talking of change but regrettably these smugglers are not ready to embrace the change meant for the betterment of our country. We have no other country called ours, therefore everybody must come together to salvage it,” he stressed.
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