The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A Ikeja, Lagos has said that it made a total of four hundred and eighty one (481) seizures of offending/prohibited items valued at five hundred and twenty seven million, eight hundred and thirty thousand, three hundred and fifty naira (N527, 830,350.00), with a payable duty of one hundred and forty million, five hundred and sixty-two thousand, five hundred and ninety Naira (N140, 562,590.00).
In a statement issued on Wednesday in Lagos by the Command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Uche Ejesieme also showed that the seizures had Duty Paid Value (DPV) of six hundred and sixty-eight million, three hundred and ninety-two thousand, nine hundred and forty Naira (N668, 392,940.00).
Ejesieme further disclosed that the Unit also apprehended forty-two (42) suspects in connection with the seizures.
In comparison with the number of seizures made in the corresponding period in 2015, the Command’s spokesman stated that the Unit recorded six hundred and twenty-eight (628) seizures with a Duty Paid value of four hundred and twenty-eight million, six hundred and sixty-four thousand, four hundred and four naira (N428,664,404.00) adding that whereas the number of Seizures for 2015 appeared higher, the quality of weizures for first quarter of 2016 led to the wide gap in duty paid value.
Giving a breakdown of the seizures, he quoted the Customs Area Controller of the Unit, Comptroller Dahiru Umar as listing the seizures as follow; one hundred and forty-one (141) seizures of rice totaling eight thousand, one hundred and forty-eight (8,148) bags of 50kg parboiled rice and fifty (50) bags of 25kg with Duty Paid Value of fifty-three million, one hundred and twenty-four thousand, five hundred Naira (N53,124,500.00), One hundred and twelve (112) different Seizures of imported Frozen Poultry Products totaling twenty thousand, seven hundred and forty-two (20,742) cartons with Duty Paid Value of one hundred and twelve million, six thousand, eight hundred Naira (N112,006,800.00).
Others are; fifty (50) seizures of Vegetable oil totaling two thousand, five hundred and nineteen (2,519) kegs of 25 liters, twenty-four (24) kegs of 10 liters, one hundred and forty (140) cartons of kings oil, one hundred and twenty (120) pieces, one thousand, two hundred and fifty (1,250) empty kegs with Duty Paid Value of Eighteen Million, Seven Hundred and Eighty Eight Thousand, Four Hundred Naira (N18,788,400.00), thirty two (32) Units of Vehicles, twelve (12) cut buses with Duty Paid Value of eighty-seven million, two hundred and ten thousand Naira (N87,210,000.00) and one hundred and forty-eight (148) seizures of general merchandise comprising new and used textile materials, new and used foot wears, mosquito insecticide, spaghetti noodles, various soap and detergent, used tyres, narcotics, compressors, hard drugs, Indian hemp etc., with Duty Paid Value of three hundred and ninety-seven million, two hundred and sixty-three thousand, two hundred andfForty Naira (N397,263,240.00).
He further quoted the CAC as saying that the items were seized in line with sections 46 and 47 of the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) CAP C45 LFN 2004; which were on Forfeiture of goods improperly imported as well as “Penalty for improper importation of goods etc., with attendant penalties.
He noted that Umar stated in his comparative analysis of report viz-a-viz the report of corresponding period of 2015, that whereas the Unit intercepted six hundred and twenty eight (628) different seizures with a Duty Paid Value of four hundred and twenty-eight million, six hundred and sixty-four thousand, four hundred and four naira (N428, 664,404.00), it was obvious that the quality of seizures for the period 2016 was far higher than the corresponding period of 2015.
“This is an eloquent testimony to the fact that we are principally concerned about quality seizures as against inconsequential ones. Despite the harsh economic realities, the Unit was still able to demonstrate capacity in actualizing the set objectives of the Service, particularly in enforcing the fiscal policies of the Federal Government of Nigeria”, Umar said.
Reeling out the operational challenges encountered by the operatives in the cause of discharging their duties, Ejesieme noted that the successes recorded in the first quarter of 2016 came as a result of the painstaking effort of the operatives in view of the fact that the smugglers were becoming more daring by the day and in most cases displaying uncommon courage and tenacity in challenging our operatives.
He however maintained that the hostility of the smugglers notwithstanding as they now employ both conventional and unconventional methods the Unit had remained undeterred and unshaken even in the face of this aggressiveness on the part of these smugglers and their collaborators.
He also said that beyond hostility, was the challenges of ignorance by most community dwellers – inhabitants of the areas, who he said were mostly crossers in local parlance, feigned ignorance of the extant laws on import and export giving this as the reason why they engage in these nefarious activities, clearly ignorant of its socio-economic implications to the nation’s economy and even to their wellbeing.
While emphasizing the gratitude of the Controller to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd.) and his Management team, the PRO reiterated the command’s call on Nigerians to partner with the Service in ensuring complete decimation and blocking of the smugglers’ supply chains saying,” Our resolve is unshaken and our commitment is total. We will stop at nothing until we become satisfied that we have completely suppressed smuggling in our clime”.
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