Customs Intercepts Truck Laden With Over 2500 Smuggled Frozen Poultry

Nigeria Customs Service  has intercepted a STEYRA truck of 1 x 25 ft container body laden with two thousand, two hundred and fifty-seven (2,257) cartons of assorted smuggled frozen poultry products (Turkey, Chicken and gizzards) worth over Twenty-one million, six hundred and eleven thousand two hundred naira only (N21,611,200) as Duty Paid Value.

The STEYRA truck with registration number UBJ 41 XA was intercepted along Okada-Ekiadoro Benin express way based on an intelligence report.

                                      

The Area Controller of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone C’ Owerri of Nigeria Customs Service, Victor David Dimka who announced the seizure said that officers of the unit apprehended the truck with the driver one Mr. Friday Julius, who will soon be arraigned in the court.

Dimka informed that the truck load has been destroyed at Custom House premises Benin and was witnessed by members of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), State Security Services (SSS), Civil defense and Police, among others.

A press statement from the Customs  Public Relations Officer , Ify Onuigbo pointed out that the amazing thing about the seizure was the fact that the smuggled poultry products were concealed with fifteen (15) pieces of empty cartons of medium size chest freezer cleverly packed in three rows before the poultry products; which clearly showed their aim to delude the security operatives.

He re-iterated the resolve of the Customs not to rest on their oars until smuggling activities of these unpatriotic citizens in the zone is drastically brought to book.

According to him, consumption of such prohibited foreign poultry which are preserved with dangerous chemicals may have contributed to kidney and other related sickness to human beings.

The Controller lauds the Comptroller-General of Customs, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko Inde CFR and his management team for their immeasurable support in the fight against smuggling activities as it concerns the entire nation.

He passionately appealed to Nigerians to resist the temptation of consuming most of these imported poultry products, especially as nobody can say if they were properly handled in transit to their final destination.

He warned all the smugglers and would-be smugglers to relocate from this zone or face his wrath because Nigeria Customs Service will continue to sustain momentum of curbing the effort of the smugglers as long as they continued to engage in this illicit business.