Customs Impounds 1, 955 Bales Of Used Clothes, Arrests Five Smugglers
Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Lagos has seized 1, 955bales used clothes around the International Trade Fair Complex, Mile 2-Badagry Expressway in Lagos, military camouflage, gun and other contraband valued at N622.4million.
Five smugglers were also arrested in connection with some of the seizures.
The Acting Controller of the unit, Hussein Ejibunu said that the seizures were made in September, 2022.
He disclosed that five suspects were arrested in connection with some of the seizures, noting that six persons in three criminal cases over possession of smuggled goods, while six civil suits against the unit were dismissed for lacking merit.
He said: “The total Duty Paid Value (DPV) for the seizures made within the month was N622.4 million, while the sum of N107.8 million was recovered through Debit Notes on under-payments and under-declarations.”
According to Ejibunu, “chief among the seizures in September was the 1,955 bales of used clothing, which were discovered and evacuated “on the strength of combined strategies of intelligence, tact and enforcement.
“Also, a large cache of premium motor spirit (PMS) ingeniously concealed in sacks was intercepted at the Badagry axis of Lagos State. Others included 7,328 x 50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice, 21,550 litres of premium motor spirit and 68 cartons of frozen poultry.
There were also 37 crates of eggs used to conceal rice, 150kg parcels of Indian hemp, 10 pieces of military camouflage bags, six used cars (tokunbo), one pump action rifle, two locally-made guns and 35 live cartridges.
“The highest single seizure of used clothing made by the service this year, and we have commenced investigations to know those behind this massive importation, and at what entry point these clothes came into the country.
“Used clothing in commercial quantity falls under absolute prohibition. They have been seized and we are on the trail of the smugglers. Smuggling of used clothes has economic and health implications on our people.
“The government in its wisdom wants the local textile industry to enjoy protection and create more jobs for Nigerians from the cotton farms, through the textile and garment factories, to our markets.
“The very serious health implication of this act of textile smuggling is exposure of users to skin diseases like scabies and fungal diseases, which can be transmitted by wearing unwashed second-hand clothes.
This is coming at a time the world is wary of monkey pox, which mode of transmission includes clothing. According to a World Health Organisation fact-sheet, Monkey pox is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, or with material contaminated with the virus.
“Monkey pox virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials, such as beddings.
“It is a viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of West and Central Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions. For the seized petroleum products, we have got them safely disposed due to their volatile nature. I want to advise patriotic members of border-communities through which petrol is smuggled, to report to us for timely interception, seizure and arrests.”
He noted that such quantity These quantities of petroleum products in the hands of smugglers could burn down communities and endanger lives and property in the event of fire. We are aware that smugglers’ desperation rises towards the yuletide.
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