{"id":348789,"date":"2025-10-13T01:41:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T00:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/?p=348789"},"modified":"2025-10-12T21:12:54","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T20:12:54","slug":"seme-customs-foils-smuggling-attempt-of-expired-flour-seizes-n2bn-contraband","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/?p=348789","title":{"rendered":"SEME Customs Foils Smuggling Attempt Of Expired Flour, Seizes N2bn\u00a0 Contraband\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted five trucks conveying 10,000 bags of expired flour valued at N1.2billion.<\/div>\n
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The Command Controller, Comptroller Wale Adenuga, who disclosed this during his Maiden Press Briefing, at the Seme Krake border, last Thursday, said the consignment, which originated from Egypt and came through the Benin Republic border, was seized in a joint operation with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).<\/div>\n
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According to him, the interception was achieved through credible intelligence shared by the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi and the NAFDAC Director General, Moji Adeyeye.<\/div>\n
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Displaying the seized goods, Adenuga said the flour, produced in March 2024, had expired in November, 2024, posing serious public health risk.<\/div>\n
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He said, \u201cIf these things find their way into the country, they change the bag, and it goes into the markets\u2026 the health risks associated with consuming such expired products could have led to severe infections, food poisoning, and long-term health complications.<\/div>\n
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\u201cBeyond health implications, such unwholesome goods undermine local industries and erode consumer trust.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Speaking on the command\u2019s revenue performance and strides in trade facilitation, Adenuga said a total of N1.5billion was generated in the month of September 2025 alone.<\/div>\n
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The figure, he said represent an exceptional increase of over 182% compared to the N531.4million generated in August 2025, the month before his assumption of duty.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThis outstanding performance<\/div>\n
reflects the effectiveness of the Comptroller General\u2019s reform agenda, which emphasizes compliance, transparency, and data-driven monitoring of goods, as well as dedication of officers and men who continue to embody his vision of a modern, efficient and accountable Customs Service,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n
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Adenuga said the command guided by the Comptroller General of Customs commitment to transparency and modernization has intensified effort to simplify procedures and ensure that legitimate traders enjoy the full benefits of Customs modernization and regional integration along the Lagos\u2013Abidjan corridor.<\/div>\n
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\u201cUpon assumption of duty, and in line with the CGC\u2019s strategic vision anchored on the policy thrust of Consolidation, Collaboration and Innovation, I declared trade facilitation as the hallmark of our administration. We believe that when trade is facilitated, processes are streamlined, costs are reduced and more revenue is generated, \u201d he said.<\/div>\n
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Beyond the expired flour, Adenuga also showcased other contraband goods seized by the command within the month of September.<\/div>\n
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The items include 1,104 parcels of cannabis sativa, 98 parcels of 120mg Tramadol, with two suspects handed over to the NDLEA, 2,043 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 150 bales of second-hand clothing and 169 bottles of DSP cough syrup with codeine and five used vehicles with a total Duty Paid Value at N1,999billion.<\/div>\n
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\u201cUnder the guidance of the CGC\u2019s zero-tolerance stance on smuggling, Seme Command remains unwavering in its commitment to suppress smuggling and protect national security, public health and economic stability.<\/div>\n
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\u201cOur position is clear along the Lagos-Abidjan that any economic resource diverted into smuggling will be a colossal waste; it will be better to channel such resources into legitimate business that could empower thousands of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) and create jobs, \u201d Adenuga said.<\/div>\n
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The Customs boss also commended the Nigerian Navy, particularly the Forward Operating Base ( FOB) in Badagry for its support in the fight against smuggling, and handing over seized foreign parboiled rice intercepted on the waterways.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe shall continue to enhance our operational efficiency through technology, stakeholder collaboration and proactive intelligence. Our collective mission is to ensure that the Seme-Krake border remains a gateway of prosperity not criminality.<\/div>\n
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\u201cTogether with our partners and stakeholders, we are building a smarter, safer and more prosperous border corridor in full alignment with the CGC\u2019s modernization blueprint, \u201d he said.<\/div>\n
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By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos<\/div>\n
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The Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted five trucks conveying 10,000 bags of expired flour valued at N1.2billion. The Command Controller, Comptroller Wale Adenuga, who disclosed this during his Maiden Press Briefing, at the Seme Krake border, last Thursday, said the consignment, which originated from Egypt and came through the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67315,"featured_media":348799,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-348789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/67315"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=348789"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348789\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":348806,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348789\/revisions\/348806"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/348799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=348789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=348789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetidenewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=348789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}