Customs intercepts 27 vehicles with smuggled poultry products worth N48.7m

The Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service on Saturday intercepted 25 cars and two articulated vehicles carrying 11,623 cartons of smuggled poultry products.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday, in Lagos, the Comptroller of the zone, Muhammed Inuwa, put the Duty Paid Value on the seized products at N48.7 million.
Inuwa said that the command intercepted the cars and articulated vehicles at 11pm on Friday at the Sagamu International Market in Ogun State.
He said: “This, we consider as mother of all the seizures in so many years since the customs has been involved in fighting smuggling.
“One of our officers, Principal Inspector of Customs, Adamu Tabuwa, was seriously injured during the interception, but he is responding to treatment now.”
Inuwa, who noted that poultry products had been banned for more than 10 years, said that the seizure was made following the interception of a mail at the Customs Headquarters.
He urged Nigerians to desist from smuggling poultry products, adding that the service was determined to collaborate with the other security agencies to stop the crime.
The zonal comptroller said that the confiscated products would be burnt, noting that they were not fit for human consumption.
Also speaking with NAN, Idowu Ogun, Deputy Comptroller in charge of enforcement of the command, advised the public to desist from consuming smuggled poultry products.
Idowu said that the service would not relent in its effort to stop smuggling, adding that if the smugglers refused to desist, they would be stopped.
Jewel Tambari, an Assistant Comptroller, who also spoke, described the seizure as remarkable in the history of the service.
Tambari attributed the feat to what he described as good leadership, adding that the comptroller was ready to end the smuggling of poultry products into the country.
Abdullahi Muhammed, a Superintendent of Customs, who led the 27 officers who made the seizure, said that the smugglers were hostile.
Muhammed said that the officers were physically attacked, leading to an assault on one of the officers, adding, however, that with their superior weapon power, they were able to overcome the smugglers.