House of Representatives on Wednesday moved to strengthen the legislative framework to halt smuggling of prohibited goods into Nigeria.

The move occurred as the Bill for an Act to amend the Custom and Excise Management Act scaled through second reading.

The amendment bill sponsored by Peter Akpatason, representing Akoko-Edo Federal Constituency of Edo, seeks to strengthen section 24 of the principal Act.

Leading debate on the Bill, Akpatason said in spite of Federal Government’s determination to halt smuggling of prohibited goods into the country, the illicit act had continued because of strong networks developed by smugglers.

He said the absence of a provision in the custom and excise management Act made it impossible to prosecute sellers of such smuggled goods, argueing that while section 24 of the principal Act provided for prohibition of specified goods, it did not categorically prohibit the conveyance of any of such goods into the Nigerian market.

Akpatason said the section also did not provide for the prosecution of persons involved in such trade nor those who aided and abetted such people, saying the amendment, was therefore in three folds.

He said with the amendment, the buyer of any prohibited goods shall be entitled to a refund of his money or retain the goods in question and shall not be prosecuted, adding that the provisions would be applicable where it was established that the buyer bought the goods in an open market, obtained a receipt and the unsuspecting buyer revealed the identity of his supplier.