Western Marine Customs defeats smugglers at creeks

Western Marine Customs defeats smugglers at creeks

By Udeme Clement

The Western Marine Command ,WMC, of Nigeria Customs Service, NCS,  Ibafon Apapa Lagos, has made yet another remarkable seizures of prohibited items, which include foreign parboiled rice and vegetable oil, along Bawe and Akere creeks, through intelligence driven technique used by the Customs Operatives.

This is coming only few weeks after the same Command intercepted various prohibited items smuggled into the country through the waterways

Speaking, the Customs Area Controller, CAC,  of the Command, Comptroller Sarkin-kebbi, M.M,  through the Public Relations Officer ,PRO, of WMC, Tangwa, N.E, disclosed that the massive seizures were made within just one week of operations.

He explained further,   “A total of 571 bags of foreign rice  (50kg each)  and 49 kegs of vegetable oil (25kg litres each) were seized. The total Duty Paid Value ,DPV, for the items is N7.6 million”

He revealed,  “Our Command headquarters joint-patrol teams on a routine 24hours patrol of the water-ways and creeks intercepted the smuggled items within Bawe/Akere creeks. The smugglers being experts on water, abandoned the items on loaded wooden canoes and dived into the waters”.

He stressed,  “The above seizures indicated that the new strategies introduced by Comptroller Sarkin-kebbi are yielding good  results. The CAC’s determination to suppress smuggling activities through the water-ways continues strongly, even as the 24hours patrol of the creeks and the water-ways is on-going”.

The CAC enjoins the media and other stakeholders in the maritime industry to assist the Command always with information, and proper enlightenment of the public on the Command’s anti-smuggling activities, in the struggle of saving the country from  activities of smugglers.