John Iwori
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Area Command has handed over seized items to internally displaced persons (IDP) in the North East through the Nigerian Army.
The seized items include 12051 bags of 50kg seized rice, 1025 jerry cans of 25 litters vegetable oil, 75 bales of cloths, and 22 sacks of used cloths.
Others are 67 sacks of shoes, 3 sacks of used ladies hand bags, 51 cartons of soap, 4,500 cartons of tin tomato and 500 bags.
The handing over of the items was in compliance with the presidential directive that items seized by NCS across the country should be handed over to the IDP in the North East.
The NCS, Seme Area Command in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Selchang Kashang Taupyen, a Chief Superintendent of Customs (CSC) said it successfully handed over the seized goods to the IDP through the Nigeria Army.
According to Taupyen, Seme Area Command has consistently been releasing the seized goods it has confiscated from smugglers through the neighbouring country. The series of handing over and evacuation of seized rice that have taken place from the Seme warehouse ranges from 10,000 x 50kg, 6000 x 50kg and now over 12000 x 50kg bags of smuggled and seized rice through the corridor.
He quoted the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller A. A. Mohammed, saying that the Comptroller General of Customs, Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Ali (retired) has approved the release of the seized and condemned relief materials in compliance to the presidential directive thereby directing the Seme Area Command to do same to the Nigeria Army.
The CAC stated that the gesture will go a long way to ameliorate the suffering of the displaced persons and also support the current operations against Boko Haram terrorist in the North Eastern part of Nigeria.
He revealed that the seized items were condemned as required before they were handed over to the Nigeria Army through Lieutenant M. Musa (N/16098) on May 7, 2018.
The CAC restated that the border command will continue to enforce the federal government policies on all restricted and prohibited items through the land border, noting that NCS cannot shy away from its responsibility of aggressive anti-smuggling operations through the busiest corridor.
