The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of the Nigerian Customs Service Zone C in Owerri, Imo State has destroyed 7,552 cartons of frozen poultry worth N77 million in Owerri.
The Controller of the unit, Mr Victor Dimka, said the contraband were frozen turkey and chickens smuggled into the country from France.
Dimka explained that six suspects, including the drivers and conductors of the trucks that conveyed the items had been arrested, saying the owners of the goods were on the run.
The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of the Nigerian Customs Service Zone C in Owerri, Imo State has destroyed 7,552 cartons of frozen poultry worth N77 million in Owerri.
The Controller of the unit, Mr Victor Dimka, said the contraband were frozen turkey and chickens smuggled into the country from France.
Dimka explained that six suspects, including the drivers and conductors of the trucks that conveyed the items had been arrested, saying the owners of the goods were on the run.
He said the items were impounded on Benin/Agbo axis and Isiopko in Port Harcourt .
Narrating how the importers concealed the products, he said that they carefully hid the poultry products between a giant generating set completely knocked down furniture, cartons of water and empty jerry cans in vehicle numbers XB 353 GBZ, XB 474 SAP and “the smugglers carefully concealed the offensive items in a manner that was capable of deceiving security personnel”, Dimka said.
The comptroller re-iterated the determination of the service to reduce smuggling activities in the zone to the barest minimum.
”Smuggling activities are not only bad but injurious to human beings and contribute to the economic downfall of the county.
“We will not stop the war on this cankerworm until the situation changes for good,” he said.
The destruction of the items was witnessed by the officials of State Security Services (SSS), National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), among others.
He re-iterated the resolve of the Customs officers not to rest on their oars until smuggling activities in the zone is drastically brought to the minimum.
According to him, a lot of people are lying critically ill in various hospitals across the country may be as a result of consumption of these imported frozen poultry, which are preserved with dangerous chemicals.
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