The Kwara State Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has siezed 48 Sacks of 3,593Kg of Cannabis Sativa also known as Marijuana in Baruten Local Government area of the state.
Addressing journalists at the Command’s headquarters in Ilorin on Wednesday (February 19, 2020), the Area Customs Comptroller, Comptroller Hussein Bello Ahmed, said the rate at which marijuana is being smuggled within the country is very alarming and disturbing.
“You are not unaware of reported wide spread abuse on the substance across the country by our teaming youths, this act is unfortunate and we at Kwara Command will continue to do everything humanly possible to stop the smuggling of the substance in order to guarantee a great and promising future for our youths”.
“Gentlemen, these group of people are our children and they are Nigerians, you are Nigerians and we all Nigerians, we must join hands together to deal with the ugly trend” the Comtroller added.
Ahmed disclosed that the command had equally made a seizure of 47 contranband goods worth four hundred and forty eight million, four hundred and thirty-one thousand and five hundred naira between August last year and January 2020.
The seized items, according to him include sixteen units of vehicles of various types, nine hundred and fifty three fifty kilogramme bags of foreign rice, four thousand, three hundred and fifty seven bags of mosquito coil, and one hundred and eighty four Jerry cans of Petrol.
He said the total Duty Paid Value of the siezed items is Four Hundred and Forty Eight Million, Four Hundred and Thirty One Thousand, Five Hundred Naira (N448, 431,500.00).
“It will interest you to know that during the period under review (August 2019- January 2020) the articulation and execution ofresult oriented strategy based on the aforementioned vision haveyielded the generation of a total revenue of Four Billion, SevenMillion, Three Hundred and Twenty One Thousand, Eight Hundredand Eighty Three Naira and Two Kobo (N4,007,321,883.02)” he said.
Ahmed warned that the Customs would do everything humanly possible to stop the smuggling of the illicit goods and narcotic substances to guarantee the promising future of the Nigerian youth.
Comptroller Ahmed however emphasized that the Command would continue to dialogue, engage, sensitize and educate the public on the strategic role of the Custom activities to the social and economic stability of the nation.
He also assured that the enforcement of government’s policies would always be accorded utmost priority with strict adherence to extant laws and guidelines.
Ahmed commended other sister agencies for joining hands with the Nigeria Customs Service to stem the tide of smuggling of illicit goods in the country.
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