By Shola Fadeyi
DC Kirawa, Ag. Controller , Katsina Customs Command
The Katsina Command of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) impounded 813 assorted goods with a duty paid value (DPV) of N426,941,429.00 in 2019, even as the Acting Area Controller of the Command , Deputy Comptroller Dahiru Kirawa is still unrelenting in the war against smuggling.
It was reliably gathered that the seizures, through which the Command has arrested many suspects, some of whom have been prosecuted, comprised foreign parboiled rice, noodles, sugar, foreign vegetable oil, bales of used clothes, textile materials, siphoned petroleum products among others.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Command, Duniya, who gave the figures to the Marineandeconomy exclusively said ,the goods were intercepted in different parts of the State, within Katsina State, bordering, Niger Republic, covering the Command’s Area of operations , for different offences that contravened the extant laws .
It was learnt that the seizures were made, as part of the war against smuggling , the need to , safeguard Nigerians from consumption of dangerous commodities such as expired rice and as well as ensure, the continued success of the Federal Government’s partial border closure.
DC Kirawa has also continued to appeal to all the stakeholders in the State to support and co-operate with the Customs by giving it vital information that will enable the officers further nip the activities of the smugglers in the bud and make the society better for the citizenry.
The Acting Controller was also said to have consistently emphasized the fact that since the ongoing Muhammadu Buhari administration, has adopted various measures that have created opportunities for employment in the State, and throughout the country, the smugglers and the prospective ones, needed to engage themselves in legal and productive ventures.
Marineandeconomy understood that DC Kirawa has also adopted fresh measures as well as put the officers at alert with a view to ensuring that the smugglers’ nefarious activities are also frustrated this year, while the Command has continued to be in synergy with officers of the national border drill operations, so as to end the scourge of smuggling.
