The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone B Kaduna, has intercepted a sack of military uniforms and other contraband with a duty-paid value of N628m in the span of one month.
Musa Jalo, the zone’s Area Controller, revealed in a statement on Thursday that the military uniforms were intercepted between March and April 2023 while en route to Nigeria from Niger Republic.
Jalo said the customs operatives made a total of 188 seizures of 17 different contrabands at various locations in the zone during the period under review.
The intercepted military uniforms were found in a Volkswagen Golf driven by a Nigerien citizen along Jibia-Katsina Road during a stop-and-search operation.
Further examination and interrogation revealed that the driver was delivering the uniforms to an unknown person in Katsina.
The seized 22 pairs of foreign tactical military camouflage shirts and trousers and 25 pieces of military camouflage t-shirts were handed over to the Directorate of Security Services for further investigation and possible prosecution.
In addition to the military uniforms, the operatives also seized 46 sacks of marijuana with a street value of N2.1m concealed in a used Mitsubishi Canter with number plate AKR 10 XG conveying sacks of cassava flakes and sawdust along Bungudu-Tsafe Road in Zamfara State based on credible intelligence.
Furthermore, the operatives intercepted a white narcotic substance, together with two male suspects and one locally-made pistol at the Maigatari axis of Jigawa State.
The illegal substance was identified as Opium with a total weight of 422 grams and a street value of N31m.
The seized items were handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Kaduna State Command, for further investigation.
Other items seized by the customs operatives include 1,147 Jerrycans of 25 litres each of automotive gas oil valued at N3m, 37 units of used vehicles, five units of vehicles as means of conveyance, 2,109 bags of foreign parboiled rice of 50kg each and 69 bags of foreign parboiled rice of 25kg each, eight Jerrycans of foreign refined vegetable oil of 25 litres each, 1,241 cartons of foreign spaghetti and macaroni, 39 bales of foreign second-hand clothing, 30 sacks of foreign second-hand shoes, 14 cartons of foreign fruit juice, 21 cartons of foreign pomade, 80 pieces of foreign car batteries and one carton of foreign milk.
All seized items were in line with the extant laws and guidelines as directed by the Customs headquarters. The PMS and diesel that were seized have been auctioned and the proceeds remitted to the Federal Government.