The Nigeria Customs Service in Niger state says it has seized more than 101 units of exotic cars, clothes, rugs, and consumables worth N755.3 million.

“The Cumulative Duty Paid Value (DPV) for all the seized items amounted to N755,377,866,” Comptroller Abubakar Adamu said.

He said the consumables include bottled water, wines, ketchup, spaghetti, basmati rice, tomato paste, foreign parboiled rice, whipped cream, vegetable oil and others.

Mr Adamu said that the command had deployed measures to ensure that “the area becomes unbearable to any smuggling activities”.

He said the command seized 140 rolls of foreign rugs, 50 bales of second-hand clothing, 920 kegs of petrol, eight motorcycles and 200 pieces of used tyres.

The controller said that the seizures followed massive intelligence deployed during the operations, adding that no casualties were recorded though applying the rules of engagement during the operations.

He also stated that with the posting of the Post Clearance Audit (PCA) and valuation officers to the command, the command had been able to recover N74,919,135 from demand notices and disposal of seized petrol.

“Let me again warn smugglers and criminal elements that we will always discover all illegal routes they use for their nefarious activities, make seizures, arrest and cripple their illegitimacy,” he said.

Mr Adamu further said that the command had contacted traditional rulers, especially those in border areas, to warn their wards and subjects to desist from smuggling.

(NAN)