Follow Us on Google
From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The Ogun Area 1 Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has raised the alarm over the increasing rates at which some drivers in the transportation fleet of Dangote Group of Companies deploy their trucks to convey foreign parboiled rice through the Idiroko border routes into the country
The Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Bamidele Makinde, raised this alarm while briefing journalists about the activities of his command in the area, for the month of July, at the Idiroko Border Post.
He said two trucks in the company’s fleet were intercepted on Monday at the Lafenwa Market in Abeokuta, the state capital, for conveying 306 bags of foreign parboiled rice, weighing 50kg each.
Makinde explained that prior to the interception of the two trucks, the operatives of the NCS had on Sunday intercepted a truck belonging to the cement company, with a Lagos State registration number EKY 971 YE, along Ibeshe road, Yewa North Local Government Area of the state.
The truck, according to him, was laden with 75 bags of foreign parboiled rice, each weighing 50kg, concealed among 900 bags of cement.
While adding that another truck owned by the cement company with Kano State registration number BCH 531 XA, loaded with 228 bags of smuggled foreign parboiled rice of 50 kg each and concealed among bags of cement, was seized in Abeokuta on Tuesday, the Area Controller urged the management of the cement manufacturing company, to as a matter of urgency, reorganize its transportation department in order to avoid Customs’ continuous confrontation with the legal department of the company.
Read also: PAP seeks implementation of NDSP for lasting peace in Niger Delta
He explained that the NCS is not unaware that some of the trucks are on the franchise with the cement company, calling on the necessary authority to ensure that the laid-down legal processes are followed and dully respected by the company’s employees all the time.
“On so many occasions, the company has come here with its legal representations for the release of the seized cement vehicles, knowing quite well that I don’t have powers to do such. I don’t know anybody as the owner of the vehicles, it is trucks carrying the insignia of Dangote that were arrested.
“So, if these arrests continue, that implies that there are some fundamental problems with the way they handle their transportation system. I want to assert this suggestion that the company’s transportation section will need to be reorganized. If they can put their house in order, there will be a limit to the occurrence of such situations”, he stated.
Other seizures made by the command in the month of July, according to Makinde included 18,100 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly referred to as petroleum; 310 cartoons of frozen chicken; 153 bales, with extra 68 sacks of used clothes, among others, which Cumulative Duty Payable Value (DPV) worth over N311. 924 Million.
He disclosed that six suspects were arrested in connection with the intercepted contrabands, with one already serving his jail term at the Kiririri Maximum Correctional Center in Lagos State.
The customs boss, however, maintained that the command would not compromise its mandate of suppressing smuggling and other illicit activities considered to be inimical to the economic growth of Nigeria.
