Nigeria Customs acquires 50 new vehicles to tackle smuggling

smuggling along Nigeria’s borders, the Federal Government has delivered 50 Toyota Hilux vehicles to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

The strike force team of the NCS received 20 out of the 50 vehicles on Monday.

Addressing newsmen at the formal presentation of the patrol vehicles at the headquarters of the NCS, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs, Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Aminu Dangaladima, said apart from the 50 vehicles already supplied to the service, the Federal Government has given approval for another 68 patrol vehicles.

According to him, the effort was in addition to 70 patrol vehicles being purchased for the joint rice task force which has added up to 188 patrol vehicles aimed at winning the war against smugglers

“As part of presidential direction to fight rice smuggling to a standstill, the service took delivery of 50 patrol vehicles and is today issuing the first batch of 20 that have been painted and equipped for anti-smuggling patrols.

“This unprecedented approval, making a total of 188 patrol vehicles in record time by the Federal Government, is the needed motivation to go all out and win war against smugglers,” he said.
Dangaladima, however, assured that traders who are complaint have nothing to fear as the service was targeting the unpatriotic and non-complaint trans-border traders.

He appealed to people living in border communities to support the service by providing useful information that would help to stop the activities of the smugglers.