Customs impound 6,900 bags of smuggled rice in Ogun

Bayonle Adegbola

The Ogun 1 Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said its operatives impounded no fewer than 6,924 bags of smuggled foreign parboiled rice, equivalent to 11 trailer loads, between the months of April and May.

The Command also intercepted and seized two brand new 2022 model Toyota Hiace buses, with chassis numbers JTHN9CPOP6018610 and JTGHN9CP7P6019835, while they were being smuggled into Nigeria through a bush path between Sawonjo and Imasayi communities in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Likewise, three foreign, used luxury buses smuggled into the country through the Ohumbe border were seized on May 15, 2023.

The controller of the Ogun 1 Area Command, Bamidele Makinde, disclosed this on Tuesday while addressing journalists at the NCS office in Abeokuta.

Makinde disclosed that the command generated N34,174,105 within the period under review, which he said was 69 per cent higher than the N10,615,618 generated in the corresponding period in 2022.

According to him, the Command engaged in trade facilitation during the period by working with compliant traders and deliberating on how their business activities could be further enhanced “through our trade facilitation mechanism.”

He said recommendations and suggestions made during the engagements would be implemented, hoping that “this will lead to an increase in export trade, which would, in turn, contribute to increasing our revenue and national GDP.”

The customs boss listed other seizures recorded to include kegs of petrol, used tyres, cannabis and other prohibited items.

He put the total Duty Payable Value (DPV) of the seizures made in the two months at N335,855,989.

He appreciated sister security agencies’ cooperation, stating that “we have been able to achieve a great deal with their cooperation and teamwork.”