Customs Seizes N57m Worth Cannabis In Kwara

The Nigeria Customs Service said it intercepted 1,153 parcels of cannabis (marijuana) valued at N57,688,448 in the Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State.

Comptroller Faith Ojeifo, Customs Area Controller in Kwara State, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing the media on the activities of the command.

Ojeifo said the seizure followed the interception of a truck with registration number T-25750-LA along the Yamboa axis of Bukuro in the Baruten Local Government Area on 3 July 2024 by operatives of the Kwara Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service.

The seized cannabis was concealed in fabricated compartments and other parts of a DAF truck.

She added that the vehicle, a DAF truck worth ₦21.5 million, would be forfeited to the federal government in accordance with the provisions of Section 250 of the Customs Service Act, 2023.

“To fulfil one of the mandates of the command as stipulated in Sections 4e & f of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023 on the suppression of smuggling and border enforcement, our operatives along the Yamboa axis of Bukuro, under Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, on Wednesday, 3 July 2024, at about 17:00 hours, intercepted a DAF truck with registration number T-25750-LA suspected of carrying prohibited items. Our officers conducted a search on the vehicle in line with the provisions of Section 6 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

“While the search was ongoing, the driver, realising that our officers had discovered the concealment, abandoned the truck and fled into the bush to evade arrest. This action triggered the interest of our operatives.

“In line with Sections 226 a & b of the Customs Service Act, 2023, the DAF truck was immediately transferred to Command Headquarters, Ilorin. After a 100% physical examination, the truck was found to conceal 1,153 parcels of cannabis (marijuana),” Ojeifo said.

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She stated that this achievement was due to acting on concrete intelligence and rigorously applying methods to counter emerging smuggling trends, which has led to significant success within a few days.

Ojeifo disclosed that smugglers, in an attempt to deceive Customs officers, have developed ways of using modified vehicles and motorcycles to smuggle goods.

“They have even gone so far as to fabricate trucks with false bodies and bottoms designed to conceal dangerous drugs and deceive our operatives,” she said.

Ojeifo added that the seized drugs have been handed to the Commandant of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in the state, Hajia Fatima Popoola, at the Customs Area Command Office in Ilorin.

She also noted that, during the period under review, 110 kegs of petroleum with a duty-paid value of ₦550,000 were seized, adding, “It is difficult to imagine that despite the current scarcity of Petroleum Motor Spirit in the country, some unpatriotic Nigerians still attempted to smuggle this product out of the country through our borders. The total duty-paid value of seized items during this period is ₦42,702,650.00.”

Ojeifo disclosed that the command generated ₦13,398,447,613.51 between January and July 2024, which has been remitted to the federation account.