Date: 2020-11-22

The Nigeria Customs Service Joint Border Operations Drill (JBOD) Sector 3 (North central) has seized about 1,643 bags of foreign rice, four single barrel of riffle and 373 jerry cans containing petroleum in the last five weeks.

Other seizures made by JBOD during the period under review included 12 jerry cans of AGO, 32 fairly-used vehicles, four bales of second hand clothing and motorcycles.

The new coordinator of JBOD, Comptroller Olugboyega Peters, who disclosed this in Ilorin, Kwara state, added that a suspect was also arrested.

The coordinator disclosed that the goods seized from the smugglers worth N53.158 million.

Peters said the operation has identified notorious border communities reputed for smuggling activities in the North Central geopolitical zone of the country.

He said that such places as Kaiama, Chikanda, Okuta, Ilesha-Baruba and Airport road, Ilorin in Kwara state are among areas where smuggling activities had thrived over the years.

The Customs boss, whose areas of operation covered Kwara, Kogi, Niger and Benue, said that Kontagora and Babanna in Niger state were also included.

The coordinator, who called for more support from community leaders and traditional rulers, including business community, said that the joint border patrol operations needed useful information and support from locals to tackle the increasing rate of smuggling activities at border towns.

"Smugglers live among people in the border communities. People around know them. Officers of joint border patrol are no witches or extra human beings to know and identify these economic saboteurs. We need more support, cooperation, quality and useful information from people to work on and tackle activities of smugglers", he said.

"We shall continue to wage war against smugglers, as every effort or tactic exhibited by them to beat security checks operatives will remain fruitless".

Smugglers will be uncovered due to our high level of intelligence, systematic monitoring and mechanism put in place to track down these economic saboteurs and their sponsors," he said.

Peters said that the current administration has zero tolerance for corruption and revenue leakages in all its ramifications, and the sector would continue to re-invigorate strategies that will enhance performance.