Customs Destroys N70m Poultry Products

Alhaji Mohammed Dikko

Former Comptroller-General, NCS, Alhaji Abdullahi Inde Dikko

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) destroyed about 20,000 cartons of smuggled poultry products worth over N70 million impounded by both Federal Operations Unit (FOU) and Seme Command of the service.

The Customs Public Relations Officer at FOU, Zone `A’ Ikeja, Mr Uche Ejesieme, told NAN on Tuesday that the unit seized 16,391 cartons of the poultry products between June and November.

Comptroller-General, NCS, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi Inde

He said the Comptroller General of Customs, Dr Abdullahi Dikko had passed a circular on zero tolerance on poultry products, adding that Comptroller Dan Ugo, the Head of the unit, was determined to ensure strict compliance.

Ejesieme said the duty value of the seized poultry products was N62.3 million.

“Between Monday and Saturday, we made a seizure of 1,117 cartons of poultry products and we also seized the means of conveyance,” he said.

The Seme Command of NCS also said it impounded over 3,000 cartons of poultry products in the last three months valued at between N6 million and N8 million.

The Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr Ernest Olotta, told NAN on telephone that the controller of the command had fortified the anti-smuggling team.

He said some officers of the command has been positioned to check smuggling.

Olotta said the efforts of the controller have reduced smuggling to the barest minimum.

“If smuggling stops, Nigeria stands to gain through job opportunities for the youths and there will be more food and we can export our poultry products to other countries,” he said.

“We have the capability to produce for local consumption and to export,’’ NAN quotes Olotta as saying.

The Secretary General, Shippers’ Association of Lagos State, Mr Jonathan Nicol, told NAN that local supply of poultry products has not met the demand.

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“Smuggling is rampant, either because the supply to the mega hotels is high or because the ordinary man in the street does not have access to the few available local poultry products.

“The cost of buying chicken locally is twice the amount one buys from smugglers,” he said.

Nicol urged government to remove the ban placed on poultry products, adding that such measure would reduce smuggling.

Mr Ben Ndee, a freight forwarder, suggested that the National Assembly should recommend in the new  Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) (Amendment) death penalty for smugglers.

“Smuggling, in whatever guise, is condemnable and a heinous crime against the economy of any nation, particularly ours in Nigeria.

“More so, the inherent danger to the lives of officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service, many of whom have lost their lives in preventing poultry products smuggling and outright duty evasion, ” he said.

The maritime expert suggested that government should also encourage local poultry farmers by granting soft loans to increase production of poultry farmers and discourage smuggling.

Mr Lucky Amiwero, a freight forwarder, said that smuggling of poultry products had killed the local industries, adding that there should be protection for local industries.

“The restriction is to protect the local industries. If they have gone through NAFDAC clearance, it means there are no health issues, but this is not the case with smuggled poultry products.

“Government should look critically at this area of the economy, refocus and possibly set up a committee to address the problem in the poultry sector,” NAN quotes Amiwero as saying.

He said that smuggling was thriving in Nigeria because demand for poultry products was high and local production could not meet the demand.

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