By Tricia Ikem
Federal Operations Unit FOU Zone A,of Nigeria Custom Service, has reaffirmed that no distraction would deter the service from performing their statutory duties especially in the area of anti-smuggling operations.
The service which deepened its anti-smuggling operations between April 10th to May 15th 2018 have intercepted various contrabands items with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of (1,010,295,666.2)One Billion, Ten Million,Two hundred and Ninety Five Thousand,Six hundred and Sixty six Naira,two kobo.
The Customs Area Controller,Comptroller Mohammed Uba,told journalist during briefing that the seizures was through its units intervention (28,860,788.00) Twenty Eight Million,Eight hundred and Sixty thousand,Seven hundred and Eighty-eight Naira only from underpayments making a cumulative of (1,039,156,454.00) One billion,thirty nine million,one hundred and fifty six thousand, four hundred and fifty four naira only within the weeks under review was recovered.
The intercepted items include: 30 Exotic vehicles including 7 Toyota Hilux (2018 models), 3 Toyota Prado Jeep (2017) 1 Range Rover, 1 Ford Edge (2015), 5,516 bags of foreign parboiled rice,1,078 cartons of Frozen poultry products, 216 jerrycans of Vegetable Oil,173 bales of used clothing, 683 pieces of used tyres,8 sacks of Indian Hemp weighing 134 kg among others
Also, two containers with number MSKU130295/2 and MRKU877714/0 have been seized for false declaration with a DPV of over 25 million naira alone. While 14 suspects were arrested in connection to these 125 seizures.
Comptroller Uba commended officers and men of the unit for living up to their statutory responsibilities in suppression of smuggling, blocking all revenue leakages and enhancing trade facilitation towards sustaining best international standards.
According to him,we will continue to make this Zone uncomfortable for smugglers to operate and urge every Nigerian to be patriotic and report any smuggling activities in their areas to the Service and any intelligent provided will be treated in confidence.
He advised economic saboteurs as well as fraudulent importers to invest their resources towards legitimate trade and desist from engaging in smuggling activities through illegal way.
Uba who eulogized Comptroller-General of Customs, Colonel Hameed Ali and entire management for their untiring supports noted that the Service was working in line with other agencies especially Judiciary where court processes and condemnation, the President Committee on IDPs chaired by CG of Customs approved the evacuation of the some items to Borno State for distribution to Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs through the Nigerian Army Corps of Supply and Transport( NASCT).
