The Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Hameed Ali, has highlighted that in a bid to tackle corrupt activities and entrench sanity, the Nigeria Customs Service actually sacked and prosecuted not fewer than 2,000 personnel within the last seven years.

The CGC stated this during the Ministerial Media Briefing organized by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday, adding further, that the Service has so far generated a total sum of N2.14 trillion in 2022, with a target to raise about N3.019 trillion this same year.

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According to him, the sacked officers were found to have been compromised in the course of the discharge of their responsibilities.

The Customs boss noted that the fight against smuggling has assumed a stiffer and more sophisticated dimension, adding that the agency is procuring additional aircrafts to effectively tackle the menace across the borders with the collaboration of the Nigerian Air Force.

The Customs boss warned against the consumption of imported rice because of its implications on human health, as he observed that the product is preserved with harmful chemicals and has a short lifespan.

He explained that Customs engages in the constant seizure of the commodity in order to make it inaccessible to consumers.

But he confirmed that the seized foreign rice, after certification by NAFDAC, is distributed to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps and the needy, particularly those affected by the crisis.