Steve Agbota
The Anti-smuggling patrol team of the Niger/Kogi Command of Nigeria Customs Service, said it intercepted Dangote truck around Minna-Lambata-Suleja axis transporting 700 bags of 50kg rice worth N11.900 million smuggled into the country.
A statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Bo Lomba said the Dangote truck with registration number XA297NAK was arrested on Monday morning barely few months after a similar seizure of the firm’s truck with registration number DAL769XA DSR-1B-019 was impounded for conveying bags of 50kg Rice worth N8.840 million concealed inside 50 bags of sugar worth N697,000 along Mokwa axis of the Command.
According to the statement, it is worrisome that some Nigerians remain unrepentant even as they continue to lose their goods, even as the Federal Government continues to make visible efforts to transform the nation’s agricultural sector, particularly with respect to rice production.
This was as Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Abba-Kasim Yusuf, revealed that his officers and men are totally committed having evolved new strategies and proactive measures to unravel the tactics of smugglers within the command.
He hinted that the Command had since keyed into the Federal Government’s policies and the Next Level Agenda to encourage home-grown rice, which will go a long way in creating employment for the nation’s teaming youth.
To this end, the CAC appealed to the general public to always embrace legitimate means of livelihood and to avoid smuggling in all its ramifications.
He disclosed that his eagle eyed officers around the Niger/Kogi Command are currently equipped to uncover and suppress the smuggling to the barest minimum in the interest of Nigeria’s economic prosperity and national development.
Meanwhile, the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service, have paraded 1200 pieces of compressed Indian hemp worth N12million intercepted from suspected smugglers.
The unit also said it intercepted 1,239 cartons of fake viagra, sexual enhancements drugs worth N409million and smuggled foreign parboiled rice worth N36.4million along the border.
FOU, Zone A is an anti-smuggling unit of the Service in the South-West part of the country is saddled with the responsibility of serving as the last layer for smuggled or under-declared cargoes at the seaports or land borders.
However, taking journalists round the seizures yesterday, the Customs Area Controller of the unit, Compt. Mohammed Aliyu said the cargoes were intercepted on the highway.
Speaking further, he said 2751 bags of rice worth N36.4million and 147 pieces of used tyres worth N1.02million were also intercepted by the unit.
He said, “the duty paid value of interceptions were N458million and we will not relent our effort until smuggling is suppressed to the bearest minimum in the south west.
“You can see, I told you the last time we came for the conference that smuggling will be suppressed because my officers are on their trail, anywhere they hide we shall get to them.”