Kwara State Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kwara State has said that, it has generated and remitted over N19billion to the federation account in the last 29 months.

The area command also said that, it has intercepted 3,620 rounds of live ammunitions during the period under review.

The Area Comptroller of the NCS in the state, Mr. Hussaini Bello Ahmed disclosed this in Ilorin on Wednesday while speaking with journalists on the activities of the command in the last 29 months.

He said that, “the Command has generated and remitted the sum of N9, 848,505,922.48 which surpass the revenue generated in the year 2020 with N2, 942,090,047.48.Gentlemen of the Press, under my leadership as the pioneer Customs Area Controller from July 2019 to December 2021 (that is about 29 Months) the command has generated and remitted N19, 159,240,134.19 to federation account”.

Ahmed also said that, “the command has made seizures of large quantity of ammunition packaged

in 25 packs of 25 rounds each, contained in fourteen cartons, worth N1,444,000.00. This landmark seizure was made around Bukuro axis in Baruten local government council area of Kwara state”.

He added, “Based on intelligence report, the command intercepted a Peugeot 504 vehicle with registration number AP 448 AKD. On searching the vehicle, it was found to contain a large quantity of pump action cartridges suspected to be smuggled into the country. Section 149 of Customs and excise Management Act (CEMA) of April, 1958 Cap 45 LFN 2004 (as amended) gives Customs officers powers to search vehicles/ships.

“It might also interest you to know that Arms and Ammunition is classified under schedule 4 of ABSOLUTE PROHIBITION LIST of the Common External Tariff of Nigeria Customs Service. This epic Seizure is very commendable at the backdrop of the heightened insecurity in the country. Should 3,620 rounds of live ammunition of this magnitude escaped into the country and fall into wrong hands, the result will be appalling, devastating and disastrous. I wish to reinstate here that our intelligence network in the command is still very strong.

“We deploy intelligence in virtually all our operations and greater successes are continuously being recorded on daily basis and that had yielded positive results. For instance, the command at a time got credible information of large heaps of foreign parboiled rice from neighboring country, off-loaded at Dagi village and Arobaji axis along Mai-gida Road both in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State, about to be smuggled into different parts of the country.

“We immediately mobilized officers from the command and stormed those areas.

Despite resistance, threats and confrontations with charms, stones and other dangerous weapons by the perpetrators of this criminal act, officers were able to evacuate a total number of 402 bags of foreign parboiled rice of 50kg each, using about 21 official patrol vehicles to convey the goods to the Command Headquarters”

Ahmed noted that, “We wish to reiterate that the continuous attack on our officers will not deter us from performing our legitimate duties in Kwara State. I want to warn the perpetrators of this act to desist as any method or techniques used will be uncovered. We will continue to confront the challenges that militate against our successes and build on the achievements made so far in the course of carrying out our mandate.”

He however said that, “Within the period under review, the Command has recorded one Hundred and one (101) seizures as against corresponding year 2020 with Eighty four (84) seizures. A total of five Suspects arrested within the period under review were released on administrative bail.”