The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone ‘D’, with headquarters in Bauchi on Thursday said it generated N224.7m and seized contraband and smuggled goods worth N197.4m between November 2019 and March 2020.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the FOU Zone D Bauchi comprises Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau, Benue and Nasarawa States.
Mr Adesanmi Omiye, the Comptroller Federal Operations Unit ‘D’ Bauchi, disclosed this at a news conference in Bauchi.
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He explained that the zone generated a revenue return of N224,739, 030.00.
He said the revenue generated surpassed the revenue target of N224, 000,000.00 for the year.
Omiye also announced the seizure of contraband worth N197,416,380.00.
He listed the seized goods as 12 vehicles, 799 bags of foreign rice, eight motorcycles, 218 Jerry cans of 25kg each and 628 cartons of foreign soap.
Others include 117 Jerry cans of PMS, 20 bales of used clothing, five sacks of pangolin weighing 150kg and 40 wraps of Marijuana.
He said the seizures of the smuggled goods were based on intelligence reports received from Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, Adamawa and Taraba axis.
Omiye said the unprecedented seizures and revenue were achieved as a result of information sharing and intelligence gathering.
“Doggedness of the officers and men of the FOU ‘D’ in making the zone unbearable for smugglers,” he said.
He warned smugglers and those that do not want to desist from nefarious activities with a promise to make the zone unbearable for them.
“We will continue to unleash our strategies in order to have smuggled free society,” he said.
Omiye, however, urged well-meaning Nigerians to assist with genuine information that would aid in eradicating the menace of smuggling in the country.
He noted that eradicating smuggling will boost the economy to enable the federal government to provide the needed social amenities and infrastructure.