The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said it had made seizure worth N45, 470,441 (Forty-Five Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Four Hundred and Forty-one Naira) in the week five of the Operation “Hawk Descend”,
According to the National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Mr. Wale Adeniyi, the Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seized goods was the highest recorded since the launch of the operation last month.
A breakdown of the seizures showed that Ogun Command made a total seizure of 6, 565 cartons with the DPV of N2, 937, 441. 00, Federal Operations Unit(FOU) Zone A, Ikeja made a total seizure of 1, 395 cartons with DPV of N7, 533, 000. 00 while Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone B, Kaduna seized a total of 6, 000 cartons with the DPV of N45, 470, 4441.
Adeniyi put the total seized poultry products at 13, 960 with the total DPV of N45, 470, 441.
Assessing the seizure trend, Comptroller-General of Customs, Dikko Inde Abdullahi stated that smugglers of poultry products were now exploring routes in the Northern and Eastern parts of the Country, as the Special Operation had made life difficult for them in the South-Western flank.
He commended the Federal Operations Units in Lagos and Kaduna for their huge seizures, and put other Commands on alert.
Last week, FOU Operatives in Kaduna apprehended two trucks conveying smuggled poultry products at Gidan Wali, along Babana border in Niger State.
Meanwhile, the success of Operation “Hawk Descend” has attracted the commendation of the Poultry Association of Nigeria.
In a statement issued during the weekend, the Director-General of the Association Onallo Akpa expressed appreciation for the outstanding performance in containment of smuggled Poultry Products.
The statement reads in part, “The leadership of the Poultry Association Farmers appreciates the excellent performance through various acts of onslaught, arrests and confiscation of smuggled poultry products into the Country. This is very unprecedented, as we can boldly say that operation “Hawk Descend” is a highly successful exercise”, the statement added.
It will be recalled that recently, the Service signed a bilateral agreement with the Customs Administration of Benin Republic to synergize and share intelligence to boost operations along the borders. To actualize this agreement, the Nigeria Customs Service has supported Benin Customs Administration with a donation of five (5) brand new pick-up Double Cabin Vehicles.
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