Customs Intercepts N1.72bn Trucks Of Rice, Petrol, Others In 1 Month

The Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, Ikeja of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), on Wednesday, announced the interception of contraband worth N1.72 billion from smugglers in the last month.

The seized contraband include 3,832 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice equivalent to 7 trucks, 27 used vehicles, also known as ‘tokunbo’ vehicles; 494 Jerry cans of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) equivalent to 14,820 litres and 27 bales of used clothings.

Others are 95 bags of charcoal, 3,643kg of Cannabis Sativa.

The Customs also disclosed that six suspects were arrested in connection with all the seizures.

Speaking at a media briefing in Lagos, the Customs Area Controller of the unit, Compt. Kola Oladeji stated that the seizures have combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N1.72billion.

Compt. Oladeji assured that the unit will continue to enforce the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 relating to import and export goods to prevent revenue losses.

“The operatives of FOU ‘A’ have intensified surveillance of our borders within the South Western States. This onslaught is against the activities of economic saboteurs in areas of the service.

“Key Performance Indicators (KPI), which include revenue generation, suppression of smuggling and facilitation of legitimate trade, have continued to record significant successes through our ongoing operations code named ‘Swift Sting Operations’ and the efforts of other patrol teams.

“During the period under review, the unit recorded milestones in its anti-smuggling operations. Some of these landmark achievements comprise 82 interceptions,” he said.

He added that the successes recorded so far this year were not made on a platter of gold, stressing that “it took the painstaking efforts of our officers who spent hours on patrol and surveillance of our borders to achieve these seizures.”

Oladeji reiterated the Unit’s relentless resolve to tame the activities of illegal trans-border trade and other crimes.

He said the unit will continue to dialogue, engage, sensitise and educate the public on the social and economic implications of smuggling as well as performing the statutory function of enforcing compliance in line with government fiscal policy.

Oladeji also disclosed that the Unit generated N72.4 million from debit notes slammed on importers who underpaid Customs duty at the seaports.

According to Compt. Oladeji, the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, has since coming onboard rolled out a number of trade facilitation tools to help boost the nation’s revenue and grow the economy.