By Our Correspondent in Ilorin.
The Coordinator, Joint Border Drill Operations North Central Zone, Acting Assistant Comptroller General of Customs( Ag.ACG Mohammed Uba Garba
has decried the high rate of youth involvement in smuggling in the country.
According to him, youths do not see the illegal activity as a crime but as a normal business or way of life.
Garba stated this while speaking with newsmen on the activities of the boder operations in Ilorin on Tuesday.
He said: “If you ask our youths today to mention the types of crime bedeviling our society, I bet you, the only thing you will hear is robbery, murder, fraud, kidnapping and Money laundering.
“You will hardly hear them mentioning smuggling as a crime, because some see it as a normal business or a way of life.”
He urged the youths not to allow themselves to be deceived by engaging in smuggling activities which could lead them to prison, if caught.
He said instead, they should consider areas such as agricultural sector and small and medium enterprises where they could make legitimate earnings.
The assistant comptroller general of the Customs said from July 26 till date, Sector 3 of the customs recorded 111 seizures of different items “One of the high points is 1,212 bags of fertilizer with a duty paid value of N16, 968,000.00 among other seizures.
He urged host communities and the local dwellers to stop seeing smuggling as a means of livelihood and to stop conspiring or assisting the perpetrators of smuggling. “I want to appeal to border communities, most especially Bokoru, Alapa, Chikanda and Babanna axis to eschew smuggling and not allow their towns to be used by smugglers.
Community leaders in these areas should rise up to the challenge and cooperate with the sector to checkmate the activities of those who are into illegal businesses, who use their environs as safe routes and hiding places,”he said
He said 13 suspects had been arresred in connection with seized goods, adding that they were given administrative bail.
Garba added that 15 Benin Republic Nationals, who entered the country through bush path via Kabour-Okuta-Taso road, were alsonintercepted and repatriated.
“Since Border Operations, the sector 3 has seized 23,449 Bags of Rice,” he added.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
