The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it intercepted N1.720 billion worth of contraband items in the South West region in the last one month.

This is even as it said that it recovered about NN72.443 million through the issuance of Demand Notices (DN) as a result of irregular declaration of consignments by some importers.

Among items seized are seven truckloads of foreign parboiled rice, 27 units of used vehicles and 14,820 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol.

The Customs Controller, FOU Zone A, Comptroller Kola Oladeji made the disclosure while showcasing some of the seizures to newsmen on Wednesday in Lagos.

He added that six suspects were arrested in connection with some of the seizures.

Oladeji explained that the successes recorded so far this year were not made on a platter of gold but through the painstaking efforts of officers of the Unit who, he said, spent hours on patrol and surveillance of the nation’s borders to achieve the seizures.

He gave the details of the seizure to include: 3,832 bags of foreign parboiled, equivalent to 7 trailer loads, 27 units of used vehicles also known as Tokunbo vehicles, 494 Jerry cans of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), equivalent to 14,820 litres, 27 bales of used clothing, 95 bags of charcoal and 3,643kg of cannabis sativa.

“Six suspects were arrested in connection with the landmark achievements comprising 82 interceptions.

“These seizures have a cumulative duty paid value (DPV) of N1.720 billion only.

The successes recorded so far this year were not made on a platter of gold. It took the painstaking efforts of our officers who spent hours on patrol and surveillance of our borders to achieve these seizures” he added.