The Federal Operations Unit, Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) with its headquarters at Ikeja, Lagos has said that it intercepted various contraband and other goods in detention with the Duty Paid Value (DPV) Seven Hundred and Thirteen Million, Eight Hundred and Thirty-Eight Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty Naira (N713,838,950.00) in the first two months of 2017.
The unit also through its interventions recovered Six Hundred and Fifty Million, Three Hundred and Fourteen Thousand, Four Hundred and Thirty Six Naira, Ninety Kobo (N650,314,436.90) from duty payments and demand notices on general goods that tried to beat the system from seaports, airport and border stations in the guise of false declaration, transfer of value, and shortchange in duty payment that were meant for the Federal Government of Nigeria, thereby bringing it to a cumulative sum of One Billion, Three Hundred and Sixty-Four Million, One Hundred and Fifty-Three Thousand, Three Hundred and Eighty-Six Naira, Ninety Kobo (N1,364,153,386.90).
According to a statement released by the Unit’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Jerome Attah, the breakdown of the seizures in the months under review showed that a total of One Hundred and Ninety-Seven (197) seizures were recorded comprising of foreign parboiled rice, frozen poultry products, vegetable oil, smuggled vehicles, Indian hemp, arms, fake pharmaceutical/medicaments and various general merchandise.
Attah noted that Two Thousand, Three Hundred (23000) bags of 50kg of foreign parboiled rice with a duty paid value of One Hundred and Forty-Nine Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N149,500,000.00) is still under seal in an unnamed warehouse in Lagos awaiting relevant importation document for further necessary action.
He disclosed that Demand Notices (DN) of over One Hundred (N100) million had been issued to two auto dealers/assemblers under customs seal awaiting payment for infractions on their import transactions, while some were still undergoing court trials even as he added that over 16x40ft containers under detention were on thorough investigation and appropriate DN would be raised and seizures effected where applicable.
“You will recall that the unit evacuated One Thousand, Eight Hundred and Seventy (1,870) bags of smuggled foreign parboiled rice and 43 Jerrycans of Vegetable oil from the front of an unnamed warehouse in Sango Ota motor park in Ogun State by our field operatives based on information, monitoring and trailing of some dare devil smugglers’ activities through unapproved routes using commercial motorcycles popularly known as ‘Okada’ and smaller vehicles ferrying on a very high speed and other concealment methods in carrying out their nefarious acts.
“Following the tactical operation and successful evacuation, that later led to protests and breakdown of law and order by some angry traders, the Controller Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’, Comptroller Haruna Mamudu has further challenged those who might have genuine importation document from the seaport to come forward for their claims rather than breaching the law of the Land. He added that the Unit’s action is in conformity with the law of the Federation of Nigeria as enshrined in sections 147, 148, and 158 of the Customs Excise Management Act (CEMA) Cap C45 LFN 2004”, he said.
He quoted the Controller; Federal Operations Unit ‘A’, Comptroller Haruna Mamudu as having thanked the Comptroller General of Customs Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) for his effort in recognizing hard work and diligence to duty without any compromise, he further stated that the CAC commended the Officers and Men of the Unit for living up to their statutory responsibilities in suppression of smuggling, blocking all revenue leakages and enhancing trade facilitation towards sustaining best international standards.
The Unit’s spokesman added that the Controller appealed to all well-meaning Nigerians to see smuggling as a crime, evil, and threat to national development and security adding that the war against these economic saboteurs was a collective responsibility of every patriotic Nigerians even as he enjoined all hands to be on deck on the fight against smuggling rather than aiding and abetting those “criminal elements”.
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