The Federal Operations Unit, Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service has said that it has intercepted various contraband with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of One Billion, Two Hundred and Ninety-Five Million, Six Hundred Thousand, Seven Hundred and Twenty Four Naira, Ninety-Five Kobo (N1,295,600,724.95).
The Unit’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Jerry Attah who disclosed this in a press release he issued in Lagos on Saturday also said that the unit through its interventions recovered One Billion, Two Hundred and Eighty-Six Million, Seven Hundred and Thirty Thousand, Six Hundred and Seventy-One Naira, Ninety Kobo (N1,286,730,671.90) from duty payments and demand notices on general goods that tried to beat the system from seaports, airport and border stations through wrong classification, transfer of value, and shortchange in duty payment that were meant for the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Attah noted that a cumulative of Two Billion, Five Hundred and Eighty-Two Million, Three Hundred and Thirty-One Thousand, Three Hundred and Ninety-Six Naira, Nine Kobo (N2, 582,331,396.9) was recorded during the period under review.
He further disclosed that a total of 95 suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures made adding that 475 different seizures were recorded comprising foreign parboiled rice, frozen poultry products, vegetable oil, smuggled vehicles, Indian hemp, arms, fake pharmaceutical/medicaments and various general merchandise.
He quoted the Controller of the Unit, Comptroller Mohammed Uba Garba as having thanked the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) and the entire Management of the Nigeria Customs Service for their efforts in recognizing hard work and putting square begs in square holes even as he added that without the Management’s motivation and necessary logistic support, the unit wouldn’t have achieved the feat within the period.
According to him,” Similarly, Comptroller Uba commended the commitment and diligence of the officers and men of the FOU ‘A’ for thwarting the antics of some dare devil smugglers who used different methods for concealment. He charged all his officers to be professional and diligent in performing their statutory responsibilities; most especially in the area of anti-smuggling operations by making sure all revenue linkages are blocked.
“Comptroller Mohammed Uba added that smuggling is a global phenomenon, which cannot be curbed entirely but can be brought to its barest minimum.
“This feat was not unconnected with the courtesy calls he paid to some key stakeholders most especially sister security agencies within our areas of jurisdiction comprising the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Lagos; Commander, 9 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Cantonment Ikeja; Commander, 35 Artillery, Nigerian Army, Alamala Baracks Abeokuta, Ogun State; Commissioners of Police, Ogun and Lagos States where he seeks for their continuous support and cooperation towards winning the war against smuggling.
“Comptroller Mohammed Uba called on all the members of the forth estate of the realm and the general public to continue the partnership with Nigeria Customs Service in the advocacy campaign against the evil of smuggling to the nation’s economy and provide necessary intelligence that could assist the NCS”.
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