Customs arrests four suspected smugglers in Katsina

By Richards Adeniyi

The Katsina Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has apprehended four suspected smugglers in connection with a recent seizure with a duty paid value of over N265 million in the state.

The Area Comptroller of the Command, Kirawa Abdullahi, who disclosed this while displaying the seized goods to journalists Wednesday, said the contraband was intercepted across the state based on intelligence reports.

He said the seizure was made between April and June, saying investigations were ongoing with regards to the suspected smugglers.

He enumerated some of the seized items to include 2,327 bags of 50kg foreign rice; 1,106 jerry cans of 25 litres of vegetable oil; 2,711 cartoons and 600 bags of potash; 228 bales of textile fabrics of all sort; 154 bales of used clothes and four used vehicles.

While describing smugglers as economic saboteurs, Abdullahi urged residents of the state to engage in lawful businesses that would enhance food security and employment opportunities.

He reiterated that despite the revolving strategies of smuggling activities by smugglers in communities and border towns in the state, the command would not relent in its ongoing anti-smuggling drive until the orchestrators of the act leave the state.