The acting comptroller of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Hussein Ejibunu, said the federal government is set to ban the importation of used clothes also known as (Okirika) due to the outbreak of Monkeypox in the country.
The Customs boss explained that “the first and major reason why Customs seize used clothes is because it is banned under absolute prohibition list of Schedule 4 of the Customs Excise and Management Act (CEMA). That is the law banning importation of used clothing.
According to him, “Customs made a massive discovery of 1,955 bales of used clothing in an abandoned building around the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex. “We made the discovery and evacuation using combined strategies of intelligence, tact and enforcement.
“The very serious health implication of this act of textile smuggling is exposure of users to skin diseases like scabies and fungal diseases which can be transmitted by wearing unwashed second-hand clothes.
“Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of central and West Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions.
“The government in its wisdom wants the local textile industry to enjoy protection and create more jobs for Nigerians from the cotton farms through the textile and garment factories to our markets,” he added.
 due to the outbreak of Monkeypox in the country.){kind=link}