Operatives of Western Marine Command, the Federal Operations Unit and the Sector 2 Border Drill of Nigeria
\nCustoms Service (NCS) have within few weeks intercepted 37,450 parcels of Cannabis Sativa popularly known as Indian Hemp.
\nThis is in response to the administrative wizardry of the change agent, the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, through his reinvigoration and strengthening of the enforcement units of the Service.
\nDisclosing the seizures in Abeokuta, Ogun State while addressing the media on Monday as part of his official visit to Ogun 2 Customs Command, the Comptroller General stated that 5 suspects were arrested.
\nThe CG stressed that Customs is committed to curbing illicit trade in the harmful drugs.
\n“We are here to shed light
\non the unwavering commitment of the NCS in intercepting these illicit
\nsubstances.
\n“Cannabis Sativa, commonly known as marijuana or Indian hemp, is a
\npsychoactive drug derived from the cannabis plant. It is known for its mind
\naltering effects and is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance due to its
\npotential for abuse and lack of accepted medical use. The abuse of cannabis Sativa
\nhas far-reaching consequences on society, particularly on the youth. Its usage can
\nlead to impaired cognitive function, addiction, and negative impacts on mental
\nhealth and general wellbeing,” the Customs boss noted.
\nHe decried in recent times, ther alarming increase in the abuse of
\ncannabis Sativa within the Nigerian society, adding that the harmful effects of this substance
\non the youth cannot be overstated.
\nAccording to the CGC, it poses a significant challenge to public health
\nand safety, as well as social and economic development.
\nAdeniyi said the Nigeria Customs
\nService recognizes the gravity of this situation and is determined to work
\nwith its partners to address these concerning trends, through robust measures to
\ncombat its proliferation and trade in Nigeria.
\nHe pointed out that perpetuators of this nefarious act use ingenious means to force the
\nproliferation of trade in Cannabis Sativa in Nigeria through various illicit means,
\nincluding the use of creeks, concealment through land borders, and even
\nsmuggling via air routes. His words: “The creative concealment techniques employed by
\ntraffickers present a significant challenge in the fight against this menace.
\n“As the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), we recognize our critical role in
\nprotecting society from the entry of harmful substances. We are deeply committed
\nto fulfilling our social contract with Nigerians, ensuring their safety and
\nwellbeing by intercepting illicit drugs and other harmful substances.”<\/p>\n
Giving s breakdown of the seizure of Cannabis Sativa, the CGC stated that
\nofficersof FOU Zone A made seizures of 14,015 parcels of
\nCannabis Sativa, weighting 7,728 Kg with, translating to a Duty Paid Value
\nof NGN 618,240,000 discharged from a boat at the creeks around Ajah and
\nIjebu-ode area.
\nHe disclosed that a total of 3 suspects and the items, were handed over to
\nNDLEA on 2 August 2023 and are currently undergoing investigations.
\nHe further said that on Thursday 3 August 2023, at about 0400hrs, a joint patrol team of
\nofficers intercepted a wooden boat with 2 Yamaha outboard engines (40
\nHorsepower) each containing 103 sacks containing 8,240 loaves of
\nsubstance suspected to be Cannabis Sativa, weighting 3,811KG at a DPV of NGN 32,193,000.
\nFurther more, the Customs boss stated that on Monday 7 August 2023 at about 0315hrs credible intelligence
\nled to the seizure of 2,940 parcels of Cannabis Sativa around
\nSokoto\/Ijoun road, Yewa North Local government Area of Ogun State.
\nHe revealed that the
\nItems were ingeniously concealed with heap of pineapple fruits loaded in
\nan unregistered white fiat bus with chassis number 2FA23000006141966.
\nHe added that 2 suspects, One Mr. Akeem Olatunde \u2013a driver and Mr. Abdul Nurudeen
\nAdedeji \u2013Passenger have been arrested and taken into custody pending
\nfurther investigation.
\nHe concluded with the reassurance to the citizenry, that the Service remains steadfast in delivering on its statutory mandates and in
\nprotecting the beloved nation from the scourge of illicit drugs.
\nHe also assured the
\npublic that details of investigations will be made available to ensure
\ntransparency and accountability.
\nHe urged Nigerians to join hands with the Service in safeguarding the future of Nigeria.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Operatives of Western Marine Command, the Federal Operations Unit and the Sector 2 Border Drill of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have within few weeks intercepted 37,450 parcels of Cannabis Sativa popularly known as Indian Hemp. This is in response to the administrative wizardry of the change agent, the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2976,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peoplesforumonline.com.ng\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peoplesforumonline.com.ng\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peoplesforumonline.com.ng\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peoplesforumonline.com.ng\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peoplesforumonline.com.ng\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3154"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/peoplesforumonline.com.ng\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3155,"href":"https:\/\/peoplesforumonline.com.ng\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3154\/revisions\/3155"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peoplesforumonline.com.ng\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peoplesforumonline.com.ng\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peoplesforumonline.com.ng\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peoplesforumonline.com.ng\/about\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}