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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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Customs impounds N24m banned frozen beefFRANCIS EZEMABOUT 2,310 cartons of banned frozen beef worth over N24 million and with payable duty value estimated at over N18 million have been impounded by the Federal Operations Unit of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). FOU Controller, Comptroller Umar Daura who briefed newsmen at the weekend, on the seizure, said several bags of rice and groundnut oil were also seized by officers and men of the unit. According to him, the prohibited beef products which were loaded in two 40-foot refrigerated containers were intercepted on the Ijebu-Ode/Sagamu Road. The controller described the seizure of the beef products packaged in lumps and packed in cartons as unique, saying that was the first of such seizure since the government banned importation of beef and poultry products. The bags of rice and groundnut oil, it was gathered, were intercepted and subsequently seized on the Idiroko/Ajilete road. The groundnut oil and rice consignment were concealed in water-proof bags and garri sacks, respectively, to apparently evade detection. It was, however, not clear at press time whether arrests had been made in connection with the seizures, but it was gathered that the value of the rice and groundnut oil consignments was yet to be determined. Daura, however, warned smugglers to desist from their illicit act, as officers and men of the unit were prepared to give them a serious fight. It would be recalled that the FOU controller had told a team of the Presidential Implementation Com}ittee on Customs reforms that the unit lacked the basic tools needed to effective patrol the nation�s borders with a view of combating smuggling. He had however pledged that the unit was adequately utilising the little tools available, and therefore called on the committee to convince the Federal Government on the need to adequately equip the unit in particular and the service in general to enable it carry out its statutory duties. Monday, July 19, 2004 |
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