The Ogun 1 Area command of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS),  revealed that it has intercepted contraband worth N380,370,911 within the last 23 days of the assumption of office.

On Thursday, Comptroller James Ojo, the Area Controller of Ogun 1 Command, made this known during his maiden briefing in Abeokuta.

Ojo said, these contrabands include 2,922 bags of rice; 22600 litres of petrol; 90 sacks of cannabis sativa, commonly called Indian hemp; 1,596 used tyres; 1603 cartons of frozen poultry products; 32 bales of used clothes; among others.

He also stated that the command during the period collected N14.63m as revenue, adding that the seizures were made in line with the anti-smuggling posture and war against all forms of economic sabotage and threats to national security of the country.

Since April 16, he said that the command under his watch doubled up on intelligence gathering and hit the ground running, leading to modest success recorded within the three weeks of his assumption of office.

Ojo said, “During the period under review, the command made a total seizure of 103 items comprising 90 sacks and 1,309 parcels of cannabis sativa; 1,596 pieces of foreign used pneumatic tyres; 2,922 bags of foreign parboiled rice of 50kg each; 32 bales of used clothes, 1,603 cartons of frozen poultry products, and 22,600 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, among others.

“The cumulative duty paid value of the seized items amounts to N380,370,911. It is of essence to state that the aforementioned items were intercepted at different locations within Ogun State, with the aid of intensive intelligence strategies and concerted efforts of our intelligence network, such as the Customs Intelligence Unit, DSS and others.”

The controller, however, attributed a drop in revenue generation to low trading activities across the border, stating that efforts were being made towards addressing challenges identified to be hindering the flow of trade.

He remarked, “We are hopeful that all that we are doing to address these challenges will enhance our revenue profile significantly. Let me use this medium to encourage our compliant traders to remain steadfast and be assured of our maximum cooperation. Our doors are widely open for consultation and required support.’’