By Seun Ibiyemi

The Federal Operations Unit, Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Monday said its officials seized 218,575 liters of premium motor spirit and other good with duty paid value worth N4.02billion in the six months.

Speaking to journalists in Lagos on Wednesday, the acting Customs Area Comptroller (CAC) of the Unit, Ag. Compt. Hussein Ejibunu, said the culprits were also convicted for being in possession of smuggled foreign parboiled rice and Pangolin scales for export.

According to him, 62 truck-load of foreign parboiled rice and 218,575 litres of Premium Motor Spirit also known as Petrol worth N4.02billion smuggled into the country from neighbouring Benin Republic were also intercepted in the last six months.

He said, “Through the Federal High Courts, 11 suspects were convicted for committing offences of improper importation, assault of Customs officers, being in possession of foreign parboiled rice and for being in possession of Pangolin scales meant for export. While some other smuggling and related cases instituted in the courts are at various stages of prosecution and would be followed up diligently.

“We wish to express our profound gratitude to sister security agencies for their unflinching synergy in the course of our operations. Special mention to the Department of State Security Services- Oyo State Command for the arrest of a notorious suspect that was on the wanted list for attack on a Customs patrol team escorting exhibits. Interestingly, this suspect was arrested and handed over the Unit yesterday (Tuesday).”

Ejibunu disclosed further that the contrabands that were seized in the last six months from various smugglers’ hideouts in Lagos and Ogun State included 14,015 parcels of Indian Hemp; 1,064 bales of used clothing; 450 drums of carbide; 2 containers of unprocessed wood and 1,448 pieces of foreign rugs.

Others were 30 units of used motorcycles; 44 units of foreign used vehicles; 860 cartons of foreign poultry products and 833 pieces of used tyres.

He added that the contrabands were seized in the South Western part of the country, saying the foreign parboiled rice were ferried through bush paths using motorcycles and rickety vehicles as means of conveyance.

He said, “Within the first six months of the year, our activities resulted in a high volume and value of seizures with some suspects arrested. We also succeeded in preventing the entry of dangerous or harmful substances like illicit drugs into the society.

“Our strategic intervention also achieved recovery of revenue through the issuance of demand notices to complete underpaid duties into the federal government coffers that were being evaded by some importers and their agents.

“For the period under review, we made 580 seizures with a duty-paid value of N4,022,960,075. We also arrested 60 suspects and recovered a total of N400,599,515.66 as revenue through the issuance of demand notices.

“We wish to express our profound gratitude to sister security agencies for their unflinching synergy in the course of our operations; special mention to the Department of State Security Services- Oyo State Command for the arrest of a notorious suspect that was on the wanted list for attack on a Customs patrol team escorting exhibits. Interestingly, this suspect was arrested and handed over to the Unit yesterday.

“Prominent among the seizures is rice which amounts to 36,742 X 50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice equivalent to 62 trucks load. Some of them were ferried through bush paths using motorcycles and rickety vehicles as means of conveyance.”

Ejibunu also disclosed that in the second half of the year, anti-smuggling fight will be fiercely enforced.

He advised the trading public to be abreast of import and export prohibition list, saying ignorance won’t be an excuse.

“Let me reiterate that for the second half of 2023, our onslaught against smugglers will be fiercer with a renewed determination to uncover them using intelligence-backed enforcement. We shall get recalcitrant traders and their agents arrested and prosecuted in addition to seizing their wares.

“At this point, members of the trading community are advised to further embrace compliance and shun any act that would place them on the wrong side of the law. We advise them to keep themselves abreast of the import and export prohibition lists because claims of ignorance will not suffice as an excuse whenever they are caught,” he stated.