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The Nigeria Customs
Service (NCS) says it has intercepted 11 containers of prohibited goods
valued at N100 million along the Owerri-Port Harcourt road.

The Spokesman, Wale
Adeniyi, in a statement issued on Sunday, said that the goods were
intercepted at the weekend by a special anti-smuggling squad of Zone
“C” Federal Operations Unit, Owerri.

The statement said
that the controller of the unit, Abdul Amadi, suspected fundamental
irregularities in the clearance of the containers which were falsely
declared as personal effects.Items found in the containers included new
household and office furniture with accessories and textile materials.
Others were assorted wines, canned foods,vegetable oil, tissue papers
and other supermarket items on the import prohibition list, the
statement said.

He re-affirmed the
Customs’ commitment to re-energising the nation’s economy by fighting
smugglers to a standstill.“The stakes are too high now. With the
general elections around the corner, we have stepped up our vigilance
to ensure that arms and other dangerous items are not imported into the
country.

“Economic saboteurs who bring prohibited goods must also be made to
lose their investment,” the customs said in the statement.The
statement said that the capacity of the customs in confronting
smugglers had been greatly enhanced through the acquisition of more
patrol vehicles and the increasing level of morale among customs men.