Over 4,000 bags of smuggled rice were confiscated among other contraband goods, Customs Comptroller in the Oyo/Osun Area Command said on Wednesday.

Comptroller Babajide Jaiyeoba also noted no fewer than 21 suspects were arrested in 126 seizures of different contrabands around the command in six months.

Mr Jaiyeoba gave the rundown in Ibadan, while briefing reporters on the achievements of his command between May 24 and December 14, 2022.

Specifically, the seized items included 4,217  bags of 50kg of foreign rice, 914 kegs (25 litres) of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 40 bales of used clothing and 17 units of used vehicles.

Others were 1,167 pieces of used tyres, 13 sacks of used bags, one sack of used shoes, 69 sacks of dry donkey skin and 80 wraps (42kg) of Hemp.

Mr Jaiyeoba said that the total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seized items was put at N192.2 million.

He said that the customs was waiting for approval to hand over the hemp to NDLEA, while the 69 sacks of dried donkey skin had been handed over to Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) along with two suspects and one means of conveyance.

The comptroller said that donkey was an endangered species and trading on it contravened Section 6 of the CET and Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES), which Nigeria was a signatory to.

Mr Jaiyeoba said that the command had so far generated a total revenue of N65.5 billion between January and November, 2022.

He further said that the revenue generated in 2022 exceeded the N56.9 billion generated the same period in 2021 by N8.6 billion, representing 15.04 per cent increase.

Mr Jaiyeoba said that the command had exceeded its target revenue for the period of January to December, 2022 by N6.7 billion.

He said that the achievement was made possible by the command’s resolve to religiously enforce provisions of NCS extant laws aimed at facilitating legitimate trade.

Mr Jaiyeoba said further that the timely sharing of credible intelligence and effective collaboration among all units of the service in Oyo and Osun Command, as well as synergy with other security agencies, made the achievement possible.

The comptroller assured all stakeholders with legitimate businesses with the commands area of responsibility of maximum cooperation.

He commended the NCS Comptroller-General, Retired Colonel Hameed Ali and his management team, for their continued support in realisation of the service’s mandate and enhanced performance.

(NAN)