Nigeria Customs Service seizes ₦721.9m in smuggled goods

The Nigeria Customs Service, Sokoto/Zamfara Area Command, intercepted smuggled goods with a duty-paid value of ₦721.9m, including second-hand clothes, cigarettes, and unregistered pharmaceutical products. Acting Customs Area Controller, Deputy Comptroller Haliru Isah Abdullahi, disclosed this information during a press briefing at the command’s headquarters in Sokoto.

The seizures were part of intensified anti-smuggling operations aimed at protecting the economy and securing borders. Items seized included a used DAF truck, 599 bales of second-hand clothes, seven sacks of second-hand women’s bags, 43 cartons of cigarettes, and various pharmaceutical products.

Abdullahi stated that the total duty-paid value of the seized goods was ₦721,957,021.41 and that the operations were conducted under the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023. He urged Nigerians to provide credible information to assist in tackling smuggling and warned of the health risks posed by unregistered pharmaceuticals.

Abdullahi reaffirmed the command's commitment to facilitating legitimate trade and suppressing smuggling.