By Seun Ibiyemi
The Federal Operations Unit, Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Monday said it’s officials seized 30,900 liters of premium motor spirit and other good with duty paid value worth N1.1billion in the month of May.
In a statement made available to Nigerian NewsDirect on Monday, acting Controller of the Unit, Hussein Ejibunu said that the Unit also intercepted 12 trailer loads of imported ride in the period under review.
According to acting Controller Ejibunu, “Today’s briefing encapsulates the successes recorded by the Unit in the month of May 2023.
He said “In our continued quest to enforce Customs laws, and fight against the activities of saboteurs that attempt to undermine and weaken the nation’s economy and its viability, this Unit in May 2023, intercepted some smuggled items for contravening various sections of 0 ur laws as part of our resolve to protect the well-being of citizens.
Some of the wares were intercepted for either violating the guidelines on the importation/exportation of goods, concealment, undervaluation, wrong classification and smuggling.
Others were seized for contravening policy directives as it is in the case of foreign parboil ed rice. Detentions and seizures recorded within the period under review a mounted to 79 seizures, with a total duty paid value of N1,025,905, 110 are products of surveillance, intelligence gathering and regular patrols.
These were intercepted at different times and locations within border corridors of the South-West Zone.
“Prominent among the seizures made for contravening various sections of the extant Customs laws are: 6,861 X 50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice (equivalent to 12 trailer loads), 1,236 jerry cans X 25 litres (30,900 litres) of petroleum, 9,857 parcels (5,338 kg) of cannabis sativa, 2 X 20 of unprocessed wood, 4 units of used vehicles (Tokunbo), 40 X 5 jerry cans of vegetable oil and 54 bales of second hand clothing 4 suspects were arrested in connection with some of the intercept ed goods.
Controller Ejibunu said “for ongoing prosecution of suspects, the Federal High Court at Abeokuta-Ogun, sentenced Musa Oloyede, Fishing Godwin David and Adeniyi Alaye, to two years imprisonment for assaulting our officers while carrying out their statutory duties.
“On revenue, the sum of N38,355,362.88 was generated through conscious and thorough documentary checks, followed by the issuance of demand notices on consignments that were found to have paid lesser amounts than the appropriate customs duty.
“Consequent to the social effect of cannabis sativa on the youths, it becomes very worrisome that a total of 9,857 parcels were seized in a single swoop.
Crime experts have found a direct relationship between the intake of this controlled plant and violent crimes.
We are conscious of this challenge and will continually cut the supply c hain of illicit drugs and other prohibited substances. | want to urge all patriotic Nigerians to promptly share useful infor mation with our operatives that will assist to checkmate the menace of smuggling.
He added that “since smuggling is a crime that deals in illegal trade, such as illicit drugs and prohibited weapons, Nigerians should see insecurity and other crimes as products of smuggling.