By Philip Ezuma, Port Harcourt
The Nigerian Customs Service NCS Area 2, command Onne has seized twenty 40 ft and 20 dewt containers of contraband goods.
Making the declaration yesterday, at a press briefing at Onne Port, Port Harcourt, the Controller of Customs, Area 2 Command, Onne Port, Mohammed Babandede, credited the command’s success to robust synergy and information gathering between the customs and other sister agencies ; as Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA, Directorate of State Security Services DSSS, Quarantine and NAFDAC amongst others.
The collaboration, according to the Controller, Muhammed Babandede, said the joint efforts of the inter- agency intelligence gathering led to several seizures of containers with illicit goods worth billions of naira.
Comptroller Babandede, explained that the breakdown of the total seizures were as follows: 2.6million bottles of 100ml cough Syrup Codeine and 7.5million tablets of 50mg Really Extra Diclofenac.
Others include 3.5 million tablets of 5mg Tradol Bendhedol and 27.04 million tablets of 225mg Royal Tapentadol/Tramadol, 2,100 pieces of donkey skin among others.
Comptroller Babandede, hinted that the concerns of persistent seizures of contraband goods made through the Port had led to the declaration of a-three-month state of emergency, a situation the Command has been granted the authority to scrutinize all suspected containers, regardless of the presence of their owners.
According to the customs boss, achievements were in line with the policy thrust of their Comptroller General of Customs
He added that in an overview, the payable duty value of the twenty-one containers totaled N46tr (about forty-five six trillion naira) only, while the duty paid value for the donkey skin is put at N441 million, pointing out that the seizures underscore the agency commitment to combating illicit medicine and ensuring the safety of the public.
“The implementation of this state of emergency by the Comptroller General of Customs CGC (name) has proven effective, in enhancing our operational capacities, and ensuring that we can act decisively against those, who seek to undermine our nation’s security,” he said.
In a related development, the command has recorded another mile stone success in the seizure of 63 containers comprising – 843ml riffles,112,500 pieces of live ammunition and more than 6,469,253 bottles of 100ml syrup, with codeine etc, and lauded the media for continued collaboration in the reportage of their event.
