According to a report by Daily Trust, the Nigerian Customs Services (NCS), Federal Operation Unit (FOU) Zone’B’ Comptroller Albashir Hamisu, has lamented how villagers at border towns serve as informants to smugglers in the country.

According to him, most of the villagers inform the smugglers about customs patrol team movement along the border making it difficult for personnel to discharge their job efficiently.

Albashir cautioned the people to be on same page with the federal government whose responsibility it is to stop influx of bad goods into the country.

He said smugglers should not be supported in anyway because they never mean good to Nigeria’s economy, saying they bring in illicit drugs and other contraband items into the country.

He also explained that the seizure made by his zone in two weeks include goods with duty paid value (DPV) worth N51.4 million.

The comptroller who gave out the breakdown said a total of 801 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 81 kegs of foreign vegetable oil in 25 litres, 180 cartons of foreign spaghetti and 74 cartoons of foreign GIV and Eva soap were seized within the period.

Others include eight vehicles used as means of conveyance, 48 bales of second-hand clothing, 28 bags of foreign parboiled rice in 25 kg, 28 cartoons of foreign Ginny milky creamer, 26 sacks of foreign macaroni, four bags of foreign sugar in 50 kg and three and a half sacks of foreign couscous.

“In total we made 39 seizures in two weeks from March 22- 8 April, 2021 with total paid value of N51,449,779.58 across Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kwara States.

“We are urging on the smugglers to desist from bring such contraband goods into the country,’ he said.