Nigerian Customs Seizes Military Camouflage, Machetes And Other Gadgets Worth N543.95m In Port Harcourt

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Area II Command, Onne Port, has intercepted a 40 feet container laden with 600 pairs of military camouflage uniforms, 600 pairs of military caps and 600 pairs of military jungle boots.

These items and other contraband seized have Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N543.95 million. The military hard wares were concealed with 80 rolls of water hose, 10 cartons of singlet, 50 cartons of shoes, 207 cartons of tiles, 15 bales of socks, five sacks of ladies’ skirts and other items with DPV of N4.68 million.

The command added that container load of 575 machetes with N21.2 million DPV were imported with fake end user certificate. Already, some suspects have been arrested in connection with the seizures and have been transferred to the Customs Headquarters for further investigation.

The command’s spokesperson, Ifeoma Onuigbo, said in statement yesterday that the Controller of the command, Comptroller Aliyu Galadima Saidu, had bemoaned the incessant activities of smugglers in the area. Saidu said that 1,070 jerry cans of vegetable cooking oil in 25 litres cans with N8.5 million DPV were impounded from smugglers.

He added that 55 20 feet container of foreign rice which contained 510 (50kg) bags of rice, 1,040 (25kg) bags of rice, 19,680 (10kg) bags of rice with total DPV of N364.74 million were seized at the port. The comptroller also listed other seizures as: six 20 feet containers with 13,560 cartons of tomatoes’ paste with DPV N70.50 million; 196 bags of imported foreign rice, 30 bags second hand clothing, three sacks of second hand shoes with DPV of N2.5 million; 40 feet container of 290 bales of second hand clothing, 20 sacks of used shoes with DPV of N12.93 million and two 20 feet containers comprising 2,140 jerry cans of cooking oil in 25 litres) with DPV N17 million.