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Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi and Uche Usim, Abuja
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has sealed six vehicles tarmacs in Kebbi State during a raid in the state over alleged lack of customs duty papers and other documents.
The affected six car stands, Gamzaki motors, Ijaba Motors, Sauki Motors, Ajala Motors, Jihab Motors and Aboki Motors, were sealed in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital.
The Financial Secretary of Motor Dealers Association of Nigeria, Kebbi State chapter, who is also the Managing Director, Ajala motors, Alhaji Faruku Ajala, confirmed this development while briefing newsmen in Birnin Kebbi yesterday.
He explained that on Tuesday night, customs officials descended on their car stands, sealed their business premises without issuing any notice for an operation to confiscate vehicles without valid custom duties. He said the raid by customs officials on their imported car caused commotion and panic among their members because of the way they were shooting at the tyres of the vehicles during the raid.
“On hearing that customs’ men were sealing car stands, my boys were afraid. When the customs’ men came to my business premises, they shot the tyres of my two vehicles claiming that my boys wanted to take drive them away.
“Although what my boys did was wrong by trying to run away from the customs’ men with the vehicles. The vehicles they shot at, fortunately, have valid original custom duties. Ninety percent of my vehicles have custom duties,” he insisted.
He appealed to government to intervene in the matter so that their business premises will be reopened for business considering the fact the dealers are also employers of labour.
Reacting to the raid, the zonal public relation officer, NCS, Zone B, Kaduna, Ado Abdulkarim, in a telephone conversation with newsmen from Birni Kebbi, said the operation was in line with ‘Operation Border Drill’ embarked upon by the service and other security agencies.
AbdulKarim added that raiding of dealers vehicle’s tarmacs was a nation-wide exercise embarked by the customs to ensure that cars are properly registered and duties paid into government coffers.
Meanwhile, the NCS yesterday justified its raid on Frazier Suites, Abuja and other car marts across the country, saying that internal intelligence have revealed that owners of smuggled exotic vehicles have hurriedly removed them from car shops to hide away in hotels.
Customs spokesman, Joseph Attah, told Daily Sun that “following ongoing raids on car shops for vehicles without proof of duty payment, some car dealers are moving high profile Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and bullet proof cars into an Abuja hotel premises.
“The Service acted on intelligence and visited the hotel, interacted with the manager of the facility and moved away with four cars suspected to have been smuggled into the country”.
According to him, the hotel manager has promised to cooperate with customs by providing proof of duty payment for the impounded vehicles and keys to other suspected smuggled vehicles on the premises.
“Contrary to some wrong insinuations being circulated, our operatives went into the hotel and had a meeting with the manager to disclose their mission. They never went into rooms or disturbed guests in any way.
“The manager is cooperating with us and has promised to provide evidence of duty payment for the suspected smuggled vehicles found in the hotel car park.
“As a responsible government organisation, we have assured him of prompt release of all the impounded vehicles as soon as proofs of duty payment are brought to us.
“Due to ongoing raid of car marts across some cities, we received credible and reliable intelligence that owners of some exotic smuggled cars including bulletproof jeeps were hurriedly removed from their garages and shops.
“Our intelligence indicates that some of these vehicles were parked inside the hotel believing they have been kept away from our operatives.
“We want to reassure all Nigerians and foreigners resident in the country that Nigeria Customs Service will not infringe or trample on their rights in the course of carrying out our legitimate duties.
“Let me also advise hotel owners, operators of leisure, holiday and recreational facilities to avoid attempts by smugglers or owners of smuggled vehicles to use their premises to hide smuggled items,” Attah said.
