The Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Zone ‘C’ Owerri has raised the bar in fighting smuggling with renewed commitment.
This was made manifest as it recorded in the month of June, seizures worth N372,233,523 and recovered underpayments worth N12,040,949.
Comptroller of the Zone, Amajam Bukar, who addressednewsmen in Owerri on the successes so far recorded by the Zone, revealed that that from January 2017 till date, the Unit has made 91 seizures with duty paid value of N1,735,665,304.
This feat, according to him, came via the hardwork of officers and men of the Unit with support from the Comptroller General of Customs, Col Hameed Ali (rtd) and Management of the Service.
In an interactive session while conducting reporters on Tuesday at the Command, Comptroller Amajam charged intending importers and traders to be honest in their declarations affirming that any goods falsely declared is liable to seizure in accordance with the law and government policies. He debunked allegations of high handedness stressing that his operatives carry out their operations guided by the law.
Giving further insights on the challenges faced by his officers in the performance of their duties, the smart officer pointed out that manning the waterways by Customs remains a major issue within the period under review.
According to him, “most of the smuggling activities take place at the water ways in Mfum and Akwa Ibom areas and the zone does not have adequate vessels to match the ones used by smugglers on the waterways”.
He however assured that the Management of the Service has purchased sea going vessels and are presently equipping them so that smuggling activities along the waterways will be stamped out for greater efficiency in the unit.
