Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A,’ has in the last one month intercepted about 6,206 bags of smuggled parboiled rice and other contraband items with duty paid value (DPV) of N1.3 billion.
The seizure made due to the command’s renewed vigour to wage war against smuggling within the zone and block revenue leakages, were intercepted along the land borders of Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states.
Mohammed Uba, area controller of FOU Zone ‘A’, said the unit intercepted the contraband items over false declaration and deliberate action to beat the system and short-change the government of its revenue.
“The seized items include 6,206 bags of 50 kg foreign rice; 67 bales of second hand clothing; 600 cartons of foreign poultry products; 13 parcels of Indian hemps; 450 pieces of used tyres and 54 kegs of foreign vegetable oil,” Uba listed.
Continuing, he said that the operatives of FOU also trailed and evacuated 59 assorted vehicles from Car Marts in Ikoyi in Lagos, based on intelligence gathering. “Among them are 2017 models of exotic cars that range from Toyota Prado Jeeps, Lexus Jeeps, Toyota Hilux, Toyota Camry, Coaster bus, Toyota Hiace bus among other vehicles awaiting Customs documentation,” he stated.
According to the CAC, some of the vehicles under the custody of FOU Zone “A’ includes bullet proof cars that were seized because the ‘End User Certificates’ was not given by the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).
“Investigation will further reveal those behind the clearance of the vehicles and they must face the full wrath of the law.”
Uba said that the seized vehicles had duty paid value of over N1 billion, while six suspects were arrested in relation to the 120 seizures made within the period under review.
Uba, who said that smuggling is a global phenomenon that can only reduce to it barest minimum through aggressive collaboration by all security agencies to block the various flashpoints in the system, added that FOU intervention has been able to recover N144.4 million from people who tried to circumvent the law at the various entry points in Nigeria.
