By Steve Agbota
The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Zone A, Ikeja, yesterday, said it has arrested 23 suspected smugglers and also intercepted a total of 144 seizures, which includes 116,000 litres of petrol and others with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N3.3 billion in June 2021.
Customs Area Controller, Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Usman Bello Yahaya, who made the disclosure, yesterday, in Lagos, said that the seizures were being smuggled into the country through unapproved routes by criminal minded business people, who were hell bent on sabotaging the nation’s economy.
Yahaya, while giving the breakdown of the seizures, said it included 14,789 bags of 59kg rice, 727 cartons of unregistered drugs, 2,784 cartons of frozen poultry products, 28 units of smuggled used vehicles, 116,000 litres of petrol (4649 jerry cans), 237 bales of second hand clothes, six sacks of secondhand clothing, 20 cartons of Tramadol, 885 prices of used tyres, 10,400 cartons of alcohol beverages, 84 different kinds of vehicles laden with 50kg bags of rice and 5×29 ft containers of semi processed woods.
He said 28 units of exotic cars, valued at N258.61 million, were also seized within the same period.
He wondered why someone would risk smuggling a car of over N50 million through the land borders, knowing full well that it would be seized.