Customs Intercepts N1.5bn Foreign Rice, ‘Tokunbo’ Vehicles, Others

The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A, Ikeja of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), on Friday, announced the interception of 10 trucks load of foreign parboiled rice imported into the country.

Also intercepted by the unit were Cannabis Sativa, foreign used vehicles popularly called Tokunbo, tramadol, Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), used clothing and shoes, among others.

The seized were put at the estimated value of over N1.5 billion.

Speaking to Journalists during his maiden press briefing, the Customs Area Controller, FOU, Zone A, Compt. Mohammed Shuaibu explained that 3 containers laden with foreign rice were intercepted within the Lagos metropolis while 4,085 bags, equivalent to 7 trucks were intercepted along the border areas.

Compt. Shuaibu stated that four suspects were arrested in line with the seizures made across the South-Western states of Nigeria.

“In a significant achievement in our ongoing battle against illicit trade, our team acted on credible intelligence and successfully intercepted and seized 7x20ft containers filled with various illicit items within the Lagos metropolis.

“Preliminary investigations revealed, MSKU 8551954, used tyres and vehicle; SYDU 1479614, foreign parboiled rice; MSKU 7751689, foreign parboiled rice,” the Customs Area Commander said.

Shuaibu listed other seizures as “MSKU 798700, foreign parboiled rice; ZCSU 8845072, new shoes; ZCSU 7055181, new clothes and PIDU 4258491, new bags.”

He added that the renewed efforts of the Unit have significantly bolstered the Customs’ strategies to secure borders in the South-Western states against economic saboteurs.

“Within this short period of 3 weeks, this unit has inflicted substantial losses on these non-state actors through the interception of numerous illegal goods.

“Notable seizures include, 4,085 bags of foreign parboiled rice, each weighing 50kg—equivalent to 7 trailer loads; 15 illegally imported foreign-used vehicles; 82 packs of Tramadol, with 10 sachets per pack; 246 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa; 290 jerry cans of premium motor spirit (PMS) and 12 Bales, 4 sacks of used clothing. 4 suspects were arrested in connection with the various seizures, which have a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N1.5billion.”

The Customs chief also disclosed that the unit generated N20.8 million from sales of auctioned items such as Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Debit Note on Containers with irregular Customs duty payment, among others.

“The unit generates revenue primarily through the interventions executed by our personnel, issuing demand notices (DN) where shortfalls are identified, and conducting auction sales of seized perishable goods.

“We have diligently optimised these revenue streams to ensure accurate recovery of funds, and as of today, we have successfully recovered a total of N20.8 million through the issuance of demand notices from irregular importation and auction sales of seized petroleum products.

“In an era characterised by increasing global integration, efficient trade facilitation is vital for unlocking economic potential, creating jobs, and fostering regional integration. I take this responsibility seriously.

“Our intelligence-driven operations are designed to create a more efficient, transparent, and inclusive trading environment that will benefit our stakeholders and the public through barrier-free operations, as we intend to collapse all patrol points within Lagos metropolis,” Compt. Shuaibu stated.