Barely two months after a joint seminar between the Nigerian customs Service, National Copyrights Commission and a Nigerian bank on how to collaborate to stop the menace of piracy in Nigeria, the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of the Nigeria Customs Service has seized 100,000 pirated CDs and DVDs of both local and foreign films.
The seizures were I addition to other contrabands which eagle eyed officers form the unit seized in the last few weeks in different part of Lagos and environs. The duty paid value of all seizures has been put at about N222. 682Milliom
Five suspected smugglers were also arrested in connection with the vices which were reportedly committed at Gbaji, Agbara, and other illegal channels around the Seme border area of Badagry and other parts of Lagos.
Three of the arrested suspects were caught while attempting to smuggle a container load of tick woo;, an item which is prohibited for export in Nigeria.
Giving a break down of the seizures in a chat with journalists last week in Lagos, Controller of the FOU Ikeja, Comptroller Musa Tahir disclosed that 198 different seizures were recorded and that they included a total of 144 general goods with duty paid value of N189Million comprising of 15 jumbo bails of textiles, 1000 pieces of used tires, 450 vegetable oil, second hand cloths, rice, energy drinks, 16 sets of leather furniture, freezer cookers, frozen turkeys and chickens.
Others, according to him were 54vehicles with duty paid value of about N33Million and many other sundry items.
The Comptroller cosnequently enjoins all stakeholders to join hands with the customs service in educating and enlightening the general public on the dangers of smuggling and its effects on the Nigerian economy.
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