The Customs Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘C’ in Owerri, Imo state, has seized about N219Million worth of assorted contraband, mainly foreign soaps and fake drugs.
Customs Area Controller of the Unit, Comptroller Victor Dimka, while addressing news men at the Customs warehouses at Owerri and Benin last week, listed these items to include 1,920 cartons of banned mosquito coils, with a Duty Paid Value of N38.400Million.
The Customs Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘C’ in Owerri, Imo state, has seized about N219Million worth of assorted contraband, mainly foreign soaps and fake drugs.
Customs Area Controller of the Unit, Comptroller Victor Dimka, while addressing news men at the Customs warehouses at Owerri and Benin last week, listed these items to include 1,920 cartons of banned mosquito coils, with a Duty Paid Value of N38.400Million.
He said that the driver of the vehicle has been arrested along with his vehicle, and that he might be prosecuted after necessary investigations have been concluded.
He added that, 4,480 cartons of foreign Eva soap known in local parlance as “complexion care soap” with a Duty Paid Value of N23,655,720 were seized earlier this month on the Aba/Eleme axis by eagle-eyed operatives of the unit.
The Controller who condemned the use of soap manufactured without NAFDAC registration numbers, also disclosed that these products usually find their way into the country with Chinese language written on the leaflets, and warned that any consumable item manufactured within or outside the country must not only bear English inscriptions, but also the country of origin, manufacturing and expiration dates.
Other items impounded by the Unit according to the Controller are: 596 pieces of used tyres on the Owerri Port-Harcourt axis with a DPV of N3,439,729.00, a truck load of 714 various brands of fake drugs on the Benin express way without NAFDAC registration numbers, manufacturing and expiring dates, as well as brand new six Toyota Hilux with DPV of N57,769,470.00 that were impounded on the Asaba/Benin expressway.
The Comptroller also urged Nigerians to join hands with the Nigeria Customs Service in the war against smuggling, and with sister agencies like NAFDAC, and the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON)
He consequently handed over the seized items on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) to officials of the NAFDAC, Mrs. Esther Itua who stood in for the Director General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii.
Receiving the items, Mrs. Itua commended the Customs for the seizures and attributed it to the strong ties and collaboration between the two organizations. She assured that the NAFDAC will continue to strengthen the existing synergy and corporation between it and the Customs in the fight against drug trafficking.
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