From Uche Usim, Abuja
The Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Col. Hameed Ali (retd), has warned operators of Free Trade Zones (FTZ), to avoid making their domains a conduit for rice smugglers.
He spoke at the weekend in Abuja through the Public Relations Officer of Customs, Joseph Attah, saying desperate smugglers would latch on any loophole in the system, especially as the land borders have been closed.
He revealed that 250,825 bags of 50kg bags of rice were seized in the last 12 months.
“In the last one year, we have made a seizure of 250,825 bags with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of over N1billion on just rice alone.
“Again, in the last three months alone, the Compliance Team led by Assistant Comptroller of Customs, Musa Jalo made a seizure of 921 bags with a DPV of over N1billion.
“We have taken our rice smuggling fight to there. The Nigeria Customs Services (NCS), restricts exit of rice from the FTZs. This is because we have discovered that some operators are taking advantage of the status of the FTZ which allows them to import quantity of rice to the places, and then, they now circumvent the law restricting importation of rice through the land borders,” he disclosed.
So if we block the land borders and allow operators of FTZ to bring in rice through the seaports, and then exit it into Nigeria, our efforts at the land border will be in vain. It is to ensure total compliance by all that this new directive is issued,” he said.
He said people must consider smuggling as a national crime, urging rice millers and other stakeholders to provide more intelligence of smugglers’ activities, desist from patronising smuggled items, and help Customs men in apprehending culprits.