The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kebbi Area Command, has handed over seized consignments of toxic agricultural herbicides, Cannabis sativa and live ammunition to relevant regulatory and security agencies for further action.
In a statement signed by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Customs Mohammed Tajuddeen Salisu, on Thursday, the items were handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) at the Command Headquarters in Birnin Kebbi.
The exercise followed the interception and inspection of the consignments and was carried out with the approval of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi. The items handed over to NAFDAC included 500 cartons of Rezim Herbicide, 708 cartons of Gramosun, 1,291 cartons of Sun-Paraquat, 1,990 cartons of Gbeledzo and 1,620 cartons of Gramostrong, with a combined Duty Paid Value of ₦223.05 million.
NAFDAC inspection reportedly found the herbicides to contain active agents capable of posing serious risks to human health and the environment. The Command also handed over 330 wraps of suspected Cannabis sativa, valued at ₦2.52 million, to the NDLEA, while 37 rounds of AK-47 ammunition and 12 cartridges for a pump-action firearm were transferred to the NCCSALW.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Mahmoud Matawalle, stressed the importance of inter-agency collaboration in tackling the illicit movement of harmful substances, drugs, arms and ammunition.
Matawalle said the seizures demonstrated the NCS commitment to protecting public health, strengthening national security and preventing prohibited and harmful products from entering circulation.
The NDLEA State Commander, Rabiu Abdullahi Sokoto, commended Customs for its continued cooperation in the fight against illicit drugs, noting that the latest handover was part of an ongoing partnership between both agencies.
Similarly, the NAFDAC State Coordinator, Muyideen Suleiman, described the herbicide seizure as significant, saying it was the largest consignment handed over by the Kebbi Customs Command to the agency’s state office and among the largest received by NAFDAC in the North-West.
A representative of the NCCSALW Zonal Director, Captain Iliya Dauda (rtd.), also commended Customs for intercepting the ammunition and transferring it to the appropriate authority.
The ceremony ended with the signing of handover documents and the formal transfer of the seized items to the respective agencies for further statutory action.
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