EMC Impounds Prohibited Items   

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Eastern Marine Command (EMC) has impounded some prohibited items.

The service said no arrest was made in connection with the seizures which have already sent tongues wagging in some quarters.

The NCS has a mandate to enforce the Import Prohibition List (IPL) and the Export Prohibition List (EPL) prepared annually by the Federal Ministry of Finance based on the Federal Government fiscal policies.

The seizure of the items is coming on the heels of the recent change in the leadership of the command with the resumption of its new Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Ajiya Masaya.

Like its counterpart in the West, EMC which has its headquarters in the Rivers State capital, Port Harcourt is saddled with the roles responsibilities of protecting the Eastern waterways, generate revenue and facilitate trade.

The items impounded by the command include Nigeria’s staple food, rice and used tyres popularly called tokunbo.

The command in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer (PRO), Jatau B. Laraba on behalf of its CAC said the items were impounded at its Calabar outstation, Cross River State.

Masaya disclosed that no fewer than 245 bags of foreign rice and 72 used tyres with an estimated duty paid value (DPV) of N4. 9 million were impounded while the Oron outstation, Akwa Ibom State seized 125 bags of foreign rice with an estimated DPV of N2.2 million.

According to him, the sum total of items impounded is 370 bags of foreign rice and 72 used tyres with an estimated DPV of N7.1 million.

The CAC warned all defaulters to desist from any form of smuggling activities even as he vowed that EMC will not condone any form of smuggling within its area of jurisdiction.

As part of its statutory functions, he assured that the EMC would encourage genuine business activities within the zone.

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