The Federal Operations Unit Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ikeja has said that it has made a total of two hundred and sixty eight (268) seizures as well as arrested thirty-four (34) suspects in connection with those seizures in two weeks.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Uche Ejesieme who disclosed this in a press statement he issued in Lagos on Thursday stated that the Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seized goods was three hundred and sixty million, one hundred and ninety eight thousand, two hundred and fifty naira (N360, 198, 250.00).
He gave the breakdown of the seizure to include; seventy-nine (79) different seizures of 50kg parboiled rice, totaling three thousand, three hundred and seventy-four (3,374) bags with a Duty Paid Value of twenty two million, ninety three thousand, five hundred naira (N22,093,500.00), seventy (70) different seizures of foreign poultry products, totaling eleven thousand, eight hundred and fifty-four cartons (11,854) with a Duty Paid Value of sixty four million, eleven thousand, six hundred naira (N64,011,600.00) and thirteen (13) different seizures of vehicles totaling twenty-three (23) units and twelve (12) cut buses, two thousand and three (2,003) kegs of vegetable oil and assorted general merchandise, including new/used textiles materials, new and used footwear’s, new and used hand bags, used tyres, electrical pad, fridges, furniture’s, soap and detergents among other items.
The PRO quoted the Controller of the Command, Comptroller Dahiru Mohammed Umar as saying that the seizures were made possible as a result of the all inclusive approach adopted by the Unit towards tackling smuggling.
He further quoted the Controller as saying that the approach was aimed at enhancing and strengthening surveillance on the various methods adopted by smugglers in their desperate attempt to circumvent the Federal Government’s policy on trade adding that the latest innovative approach became necessary in view of the fact that there was a compelling need to design appropriate templates to fight smuggling in view of its devastating effect on the Nation’s economy.
Comptroller Umar according to Ejesieme who made the observations during his facility visit to the Government Warehouse and Workshop area of the Unit where seizures were deposited revealed that the Customs Management under the present Comptroller-General of Custom, Retired Col. Hammed Ibrahim Ali was fully committed to ensuring that the Service did not renege in its core functions of revenue collection, suppression of smuggling and facilitation of legitimate trade amidst other adhoc assignments.
“The Controller also hinted that a truck load of fairly used tyres, consisting of one thousand, one hundred and ninety eight (1,198) pieces was intercepted few days ago, by the Controller’s Monitoring Team ‘B’ Idiroko Axis led by Assistant Comptroller of Customs, Jatau Micah. He revealed that the seizure came as a result of the painstaking effort of the team and their renewed vigour towards enhanced surveillance. The Controller confirmed that the goods with Duty Paid Value of six million, four hundred and sixty nine thousand, two hundred naira (N6,469,200.00) only, have been deposited at the Government warehouse of the Unit”, Ejesieme quoted.
Reacting to questions regarding Presidential directive on sending food items to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp, the Command’s spokesman stated that the Controller confirmed that the Unit had started complying noting that such items were usually subjected to test through the NAFDAC to ensure that they were good for human consumption.
“The Controller stated that the way and manner some of these consignments were intercepted, especially the poultry products concealed with fish is a clear indication that these smugglers were being rattled. ‘The land borders are no more conducive for them and that is why they keep creating means and avenues. However, we have a comparative advantage because we are well trained for the task and we have officers and men who are resilient and determined to dare the smugglers, irrespective of their hostility”, the PRO said.
He noted that the Controller appealed to Nigerians to see the commitment of the Service and support her in the fight against smuggling even as he warned for the umpteenth time that the Unit would remain ruthless in degrading the activities of smugglers in the Zone.
The Controller according to Ejesieme reiterated his earlier position that the Unit would continue to deal decisively with smugglers however their sophistication stating that even though the smugglers could be very daring, the Unit under his watch would always dismantle them.
“The fight against smuggling is quite an enormous task and we have over the period re-engineered our operational modalities and tools to meet up with the emerging challenges”, he quoted Umar as saying.
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