…Set to sell beans at discounted price to Nigerians
The Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, on Tuesday auctioned a total of four hundred (400) 30 litre kegs of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS popularly known as petrol to the members of the public.
The PMS which is equivalent of 12,000 litres and with a Duty Paid Value, DPV of Eight Million, Three Hundred and Forty-Seven Thousand, Six Hundred and Eighty Naira (N8,347,680) was intercepted by the officers of the command in Saturday 2nd March, 2024 along the creeks.
Speaking to newsmen on the seizure at Seme, the Customs Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Timi Bomodi explained that there was an attempt to move those items by boat but acting on intelligence, officers of the command were able to swiftly deploy to one of those creeks and intercepted them.
He said, “They were actually being brought in in large sacks. So, we have to move them and bring them here and of course, put them back into kegs that will make them stable and we know that because of the nature of petroleum products, it’s not something that we can warehouse over a long period of time and very shortly, we start auctioning of these items to the members of the public, some of whom I see hanging around.
“Eventually, when that auction takes place, that money is paid into the coffers of the federal government just to account for the sale of these items.
“We have one suspect for this and we have other suspects. By the time we go for the briefing, we would throw more light on the number of suspects that we had in the course of carrying out our activities.
“It’s a challenge with us that anytime they are tackled on land, they have the tendency to move to the water. We have limited capabilities on water even though there are resources that are there but you are talking about a very wide body of water. You are not just talking about the creeks, you are talking about the whole Atlantic and it is often difficult but we are still ready to put all the resources we have at our disposal to ensure that practices of this nature are discouraged and discontinued.”
On whether or not they encountered any resistance in the course of evacuating the products from the creeks to the command, Comptroller Bomodi said, “It’s a normal practice. Anytime you have to evacuate products either PMS, rice or any other thing, there’s a threat and we are not just talking about those that are actively involved in it. Sometimes, we have certain communities that present hostile face to us.
“But overall, I would like to appreciate the leaders within the Badagry area, they have shown exemplary conduct, they have managed to create a buffer for us between the agencies of government and the communities, just to explain to them what the intentions of the government are and how they should indeed, make efforts to cooperate with us to see that these items that pose as a threat and danger to Nigeria and Nigerians do not either leave the country or come in.”
Speaking with our correspondent, the Public Relations Officer of the command, Abdullahi Hussaini disclosed that a 30 litre keg of the PMS was auctioned at the cost of N9,000.
Meanwhile, the Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS has intercepted a truckload of beans totalling four hundred (400) bags with a Duty Paid Value, DPV of Sixty-One Million, Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N61,450,000) stockpiled in a warehouse at one of the exit corridors at the border.
Showcasing the seizure before journalists at Seme in Tuesday, Comptroller Timi Bomodi disclosed that the items which had since been deposited to the government warehousefor safekeeping would eventually be sold to the public at a discounted price.
According to him, “Once the headquarters has given the go ahead, these items will be moved to the market where they will be sold at discounted price. Ordinarily, these things shouldn’t be leaving the country when we have food crisis in the country. We must ensure that that which is being produced within Nigeria is used up within Nigeria.
“The citizens of this country comes first and the government of the day is prioritizing the needs of the people and that is why the Nigeria Customs Service has undertaken this bold step to make this arrest and to ensure that these goods eventually end up at the market places where they will be distributed to Nigerians at a cost that is affordable.
“The current market price for beans is put at N120,000 or so per bag. So, if we use that as the DPV, then we will be talking about over N61 million worth of beans. But as I said,by the time we go to the market, we will be discounting for selling these and it will be sold to the members of the public at a considerably reduced price.”
Noting that a suspect was arrested in connection with the seizure, he said, “we have an arrest of a suspect who initially fled the scene but was making overtures to come to the command to see if we could release the items to them and in the course of doing that, the suspect is in custody.”
Speaking further, he said, “It’s not news, you have seen what has happened in Abuja and other places. We have food crisis and from the angle of customs, we first have to ensure that what is being produced locally stays within the country before we now start thinking about moving them out.
“Of course, Schedule 6 of CEMA has a clear definition that beans cannot be moved out or be exported out of the country and even if you are going to export anything out of the country, there’s a formal way of doing that. You have to go, open your NXP, register with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, submit your documentation, get an assessor to get CCI issued before you can now begin to export. But when you don’t do any of these, any attempt to move these kind of items will be considered illegal and then, the law has to take its course.”
Photo 1: Comptroller Timi Bomodi of the Seme Customs Command addressing journalists during the parade of seized items at the headquarters of the command at Seme on Tuesday.
Photo 2. Seized bags of beans.
Photo 3. Seized kegs of petroleum products.
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