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•Impounds 62 trailer loads of smuggled rice, recovers N400m as revenue
By Steve Agbota
Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’ of Nigeria Customs Service yesterday, said that it arrested 60 suspected smugglers and intercepted about 218,575 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 62 trailer loads of rice and others worth N4.022 billion in six months.
Addressing journalists during a press briefing in Lagos, the acting Area Controller of the Unit, DC Hussein Kehinde, said for the period under review, the unit made 580 seizures and recovered a total of N400.599 million as revenue through the issuance of demand notices.
According to him, prominent among the seizures is rice which amounts to 36,742 X 50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice equivalent to 62 trailer loads. Some of them were ferried through bush paths using motorcycles and rickety vehicles as means of conveyance. “Also notable among other seizures include 14,015 (7,728) parcels of Indian Hemp, 1,064 bales of used clothing, 450 x 106 kg drums of carbide, 2 x 20 containers of unprocessed wood, 1,448 pieces of foreign rugs 30 units of used motorcycles, 44 units of used vehicles (Tokunbo), 218,575 litres of premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 860 cartons of foreign poultry products and 833 pieces of used tyres
“Let me reiterate that for the second half of 2023, our onslaught against smugglers will be fiercer with a renewed determination to uncover them using intelligence-backed enforcement. We shall get recalcitrant traders and their agents arrested and prosecuted in addition to seizing their wares,” he said.
He further stated that through the Federal High Court, 11 suspects were convicted for committing offences of improper importation, assault of Customs officers, being in possession of foreign parboiled rice and for being in possession of Pangolin scales meant for export, adding that while some other smuggling and related cases instituted in the courts are at various stages of prosecution and would be followed up diligently.
“Within the first six months of the year, our activities resulted in a high volume and value of seizures with some suspects arrested. We also succeeded in preventing the entry of dangerous or harmful substances like illicit drugs into the society.
“Our strategic intervention also achieved recovery of revenue through the issuance of demand notices to complete underpaid duties into the federal government coffers that were being evaded by some importers and their agents,” he added.
However, he expressed the Unit’s profound gratitude to sister security agencies for their unflinching synergy in the course of its operations; special mention to the Department of State Security Services- Oyo State Command for the arrest of a notorious suspect that was on the wanted list for attack on a Customs patrol team escorting exhibits. Interestingly, this suspect was arrested and handed over the Unit yesterday.
“At this point, members of the trading community are advised to further embrace compliance and shun any act that would place them on the wrong side of the law. We advise them to keep themselves abreast of the import and export prohibition lists because claims of ignorance will not suffice as an excuse whenever they are caught,” he said.
