The Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 42 drums of calcium carbide smuggled into the country from Benin Republic.
The chemical, according to security sources in the Customs, can bring down a whole house if it gets to the hands of criminals who will mix it with a few other chemicals.
The development was disclosed by the acting Customs Area Controller of the unit, Compt. Usman Yahaya, adding that aside from the calcium carbide, the unit also seized contraband worth N3.1billion.
According Yahaya, who said the unit acted based on credible intelligence, disclosed that the explosives were smuggled into the country through the porus borders under the Ogun State command of the service.
He said: “We intercepted the 42 drums of calcium carbide through intelligence gathering. The contraband was in a truck and concealed with cassava tubers and flakes. They thought with the concealment, they could evade the eagle eye of our officers.
“The explosives were intercepted at Sango-Ota axis. Calcium carbide is on the list of contraband because it is dangerous to the nation if it gets to the hands of bad elements.
Yahaya, who said that the unit was investigating where the explosives were headed, added: “The calcium carbide weighed 106kg in 42 drums with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N105million. I can assure you that the smugglers have no good intention because if they did, they wouldn’t have concealed and smuggled it through the border.”
