By Victoria Hanson
LAGOS – The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos has arrested 15 suspects in connection with seizures.
The Comptroller of the Unit, Mohammed Uba Garba who made the disclosure on Wednesday while briefing the press said that Two Hundred and Twenty Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Eighty Nine Naira, Eight Kobo Only ( N229, 950,089.8) were also recovered from 13th June to July 10th, 2017.
Explaining the statistics, Garba said they have intercepted various contraband with a duty paid value ( DPV) of N200,995,641 million while 28,954,448 million were recovered through the interventions from duty payments and demand notices on general goods which tried to outmananoeuvre their officers at seaports, airport and border stations through wrong classification, transfer value and shortchange in duty payment for the government, making a total amount of the above figure within the period under review.
Within this period, the Unit boss stated that Fourty (40) different seizures were recorded comprising vegetable oil, medicaments, used tyres and various general merchandise.
Recently, he revealed that 1,442 cartoons of drugs (Tramadol 225/120mg) in container number MSKU98895 IX40ft and a MAN diesel truck with Reg no. RRU 513XA along Apapa – Oshodi and Ijebu Ode Express Ways were intercepted.The drugs were handed over to National Agency For Food And Drugs Administration Control ( NAFDAC) for further investigation.
Following series of infraction on some of the containers intercepted based on information, According to him, ‘’ We have seized 7 containers that contravened Customs Law by means of false declaration and breach of import prohibition list by trade. While three of the containers carried 5,014 pieces of used tyres, used fridges, used double electric burner, the other containers carried 499 cartons of Eva soap as against Poultry Incubator declared in the SGD’’.
‘’We intercepted one DAF Truck with Reg No. DAL 543 ZX carrying 1,200 cartoons of smuggled poultry products along Lagos Ibadan Expressway’’ he added.
While commending Comptroller General of Customs Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali ( Rtd) and the management team of the Nigeria Customs Service for their relentless effort in ensuring that culprits are prosecuted.
He however seized the opportunity to called on the members of the media and the general public to help in providing necessary information that could assist the service in cubing smuggling.
