By Bon Peters
Goods worth about N5.4 billion in total Duty Paid Value (DPV) have been confiscated by the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone C of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Owerri, Imo State.
A statement by the Zone’s spokesman, Mr Jerry Attah, who was newly promoted to Chief Superintendent of Customs (CSC) from a Superintendent of Customs (SC), said on Wednesday said the seizure was a result of hard work, resilience, dedication to duty and commitment of personnel of the agency.
The Zone C Comptroller, Mr Kayode Kolade, said some of the items seized were pangolin scales, foreign parboiled rice, cannabis sativa (Indian hemp), fake pharmaceutical products, tramadol, used vehicles, used tyres, used clothing and explosive raw materials, among others.
Mr Kolade stated that as a result of the interventions of his officers in checkmating the activities of fraudulent agents at the seaports, lots of revenues, hitherto lost, have been recovered to the tune of N152.5 million.
In another development, Mr Kolade decorated 46 newly promoted officers of the zone, charging them to live above board and continue to justify the confidence reposed in them by the service.
The breakdown of the promotion showed that three were promoted from the rank of CSC to the rank of Assistant Comptroller (AC), five moved from the cadre of Superintendent of Customs (SC) to CSC, and three were elevated from the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Customs (DSC) to SC.
Also, two officers were promoted from Assistant Superintendent of Customs I (ASC I) to DSC, six rose from ASCII to ASC I, 17 were lifted from IC to ASCII, eight went from Assistant Inspector of Customs (AIC) to IC and one person moved from Customs Area I (CA I) to AIC.
“Let me use this opportunity to appreciate the Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr Wale Adeniyi, and his management team through the Board of the NCS for this privilege and promise our determination and zeal to perform even more as we wear our new ranks,” Mr Kolade said.
He reminded the newly promoted personnel that, “New rank comes with new and more responsibility and we must deliver on our mandate,” stressing that, “One thing that is constant in life is change.”
