GIFT ROBERTS
The Nigeria Customs Service has impounded unregistered and fake drugs imported into the country through the nation’s seaport.
The NCS Deputy Comptroller, Ahmadu and Coordinator of Lagos unit, Shuaibu, while speaking with newsmen in Lagos, said that the unit also recovered N426.4 million as debit note collected on cargoes that were under-declared at the seaport.
He listed the impounded goods to includes, 575 bales of secondhand clothing, 1,1440 cartons of supermarket goods, 664 cartons of drugs without NAFDAC number, 530 cartons of footwear and 1,600 bags of foreign parboiled rice.
He said, “Sequel to conscientious documentary checks, the ICT component of the team recovered the sum of N426.4 million from demand notices (DN) raised within April till yesterday. The money recovered from demand notices could have been lost to unscrupulous importers.”
Shuaibu, further disclosed that the interception was as a result of credible intelligence and meticulous documentary checks, adding that the government rationale for prohibiting the importation/exportation of some of the goods were to safeguard the socio-economic, health, and well-being of the nation.
He, however, lamented over the unlawful importation of textile materials into the country, which he said was destroying the nation’s textile industries and jobs meant for teeming youth in the country.
He added, “While we appreciate our patriotic trader’s for their compliance with the Customs and Excise extant laws, we employ the cooperation of all international traders to imbibe compliance in the interest of the nation’s socio-economic wellbeing and security.”