Isaac Anumihe
Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, has confiscated prohibited items and vehicles worth over N1,345,572,313 while 12 suspects in connection with the over 112 seizures are now being detained in customs cell.
The 15 exotic vehicles in detention include, three Toyota C-HR (2018 models), one Toyota Camry LE (2018), one Toyota Prado (2018), one Toyota Hilux (2017), one Ford F150 (2017), one Pajero Jeep (2017), one Mercedes Benz (2017) among others.
Other seizures include, 9,049 bags of foreign parboiled rice (15 trailers), 1,464 cartons of frozen poultry products, 872 jerrycans of vegetable oil, 273 bales of used clothing, 592 pieces of used tyres among others.
Also, four containers with numbers PCIU850134/9, PCIU8278544, FCIU98753 and TGH6924330 have been seized for false declaration.
However, two of the containers had 8,633 pieces of empty cylinders as against plumbing materials declared in their Single Goods Declaration (SGD) while the other two carried 120 bales of new jeans as against punching machine declared in the SGD.
According to the Controller, Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja, Comptroller Mohammed Uba, ß in order to ensure full implementation of government policy banning the importation of rice through land borders and following headquarters directive on same, the command restrategised its operations.
“We will continue to make sure smugglers within our areas of jurisdiction count their losses until they repent from sabotaging our economy.
As you already know, smuggling is a global phenomenon that cannot be eradicated entirely but if all hands are on deck it will be reduced to the barest minimum” he said.