Isaac Anumihe
Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has again raided a car mart and seized 16 exotic vehicles, including Rolls Royce and Lincoln Limousine in Lagos with a duty paid value of N340.78 billion.
While six vehicles were evacuated based on intelligence along Lekki Epe Expressway, the remaining 10 were intercepted on information patrol at various locations.
Among the vehicles intercepted are two Lexus Jeep (RS350 2016, 2017 models), one Rolls Royce, one Lincoln Limousine (2014), three Toyota Camry (2009, 2013 and 2017 models), one Toyota Rav 4, one Toyota Avalon (2016) one Toyota Tundra, one Dodge, among others.
Other items intercepted include 7,201 bags of foreign parboiled rice (12 trailers), 1,172 cartons of frozen poultry products, 1,352 jerrycans of vegetable oil, 72 bales of used clothing, 464 pieces of used tyres, 407 sacks of pangolin scales, and 629 pieces of textile Ankara materials, among others.
Addressing newsmen in Lagos, Comptroller, Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja, Mohammed Uba, said that among the seizures were eight trucks laden with 3,351 bags of rice and 669 jerrycans of vegetable oil along Iseyin, Oyo/Osun axis and also the evacuation of 1,253 bags of rice, 50kg each, from a warehouse in Ogbomosho based on credible intelligence despite resistance.
The Comptroller said that the ban on the importation of foreign rice through the land border is to encourage efficiency in local production.
“Therefore, the need to support the Federal Government policy on rice, encourage local rice farmers, the millers and patronise our own nutritious rice cannot be over emphasised,” he explained.
Uba noted that the 407 sacks of pangolin scales weighing 10,263kg were evacuated from an apartment at 64 Opebi Road, Off Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos, within the weeks under review with a duty paid value of over N2.09 billion.
“In the spirit of inter-agency cooperation, the pangolin scales and the suspect will be handed over to Nigeria Environment Standards and Regulatory Enforcement Agency (NESREA) for further investigation in collaboration towards protecting our natural habitat and protecting our endangered species,” he said.