Tom Moses
6 November 2009
Calabar — The Eastern Marine Command of the Nigerian Customs Service has seized contraband goods of mostly second hand clothing materials valued at over N300 million from smugglers.
Addressing newsmen at the Calabar Port yesterday, the Comptroller of Customs, Eastern Marine Command, Abdulkarim Husseni, said the seizure was made following intelligent reports that two locally made boats carrying contraband goods were sighted at Ibaka Creek along Oron in Akwa Ibom state.
According to him, he mobilized his team to swoop on the area on October 30, 2009, which resulted to the impoundment of the two boats loaded with contraband goods.
He said that the two seized boats with the goods were brought to Calabar Port for safe keeping in the customs warehouse.
Husseni, however, regretted that the occupants of the two boats on sighting his men dived into the water and escaped into the creeks.
While commending the Comptroller-General of Customs for providing facilities which aided the success of his team, he vowed to fight smugglers to a stand still.
He attributed the activities of militants to the inability of his men to function effectively, but declared "now that the President has granted them amnesty, we are prepared to track them down at all cost."
Abdulkarim advised smugglers to look for another business as Customs officers would no longer allow them to thrive in the smuggling activities.
"Now that we have enough boats and other facilities to work with, we are prepared and committed to out job more than before," he said.
Also speaking, the Comptroller, Federal Operations, Zone C, Mr. Kane Dede said the success was recorded because of the support from the Comptroller-General of Customs.
"The encouragement we have gotten from the Comptroller-General since his assumption of office cannot be measured, hence these successes," he said.
He described the seizure as the biggest in recent times even as he noted that the activities of militants had affected their operations adversely.
He assured that 'now that the water ways are safe for us to operate, we are ready for the smugglers".
Kane announced that another seizure has been made in Benin which according to him was an indication that the officers and men of the Custom Services are alive to their responsibilities.
On seized, goods he said, the federal government would decide after judgment would be seen passed against the items in the law court.
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