The Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service in its relentless fight against smuggling has uncovered a smuggled L450 Jeep that was disguised with posters of a deceased person (supposedly going for burial). Also, intercepted was a waste disposal truck which on close examination contained 534 pieces of used tyres concealed in the truck disguised to be conveying waste for disposal.
In a statement, the command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Selechang Taupyen, said that the strategy used by smugglers was unravelled by mobile patrol teams led by Chief Superintendent of Costoms Ali, A.M and Suprintendent of Customs I.G along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
Commenting on the seizures, the Customs Area Controller Aliyu Mohammed disclosed that no amount of antics devised by smugglers will go undetected by the officers and men who are always at every nook and cranny of the border. He further re-stated that implementing the policy of the federal government on ban of new and fairly-used vehicles through the land border without compromise is a task that must be done by officers of the command.
He reiterated that as an institution that enforces the federal government policies, the compliance level of the ban on importation of new and fairly-used vehicles through the land border that commenced on January 1, 2017 is still in force and will be sustained. He warned that no amount of misrepresentation of this policy will deter the command in ensuring that no new or used vehicle comes through the land border except through the sea ports.
He said that the dare-devil smugglers who will not desist from using Seme route will continue to count their losses behind bars when arrested and prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others.
The comptroller also re-emphasized the need to beef up security along the border considering the security threat of illegal importation of arms through the nation’s sea ports. He added that the command’s zero tolerance to the nation’s security threat (via illegal importation of arms) through meticulous screening of imported goods using the scanning machine will be sustained.
The command’s helmsman further disclosed that the command is strategising and deploying high level of intelligence and professional competence, fortifying the entire land border in order to foil all attempts of arm smuggling and other trans-border crimes into the country.