By Chinonye Anyatonwu
The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A of Nigeria Customs Service(NCS) has made a tremendous seizure of goods worth more than N7.1 billion in six months.
Taking journalists round the over-flowing warehouses and all open spaces on Monday at its Ikeja-Lagos base, filled with assorted contrabands seized by the Unit in the first six months of 2022, the
acting Controller of the Unit, Comptroller Hussein K Ejibunu disclosed that the seized goods has a duty paid value of N7,11,932,050.
He added that a total of 103 suspects were arrested in connection with some of the seized goods.
He stated that the entire success of the Unit is through the improved logistics information supplied by the Nigeria Customs Headquarters, inter-agency collaboration with sister security agencies, esteemed stakeholders, as well as patriotic citizens.
He called on citizens to continue to feed the Unit with information on the activities of the smugglers, saying the Unit is determined to ensure that the smugglers do not succeed in the nefarious business.
Among the numerous seized items seized by the Unit were: 45,928 bags of foreign parboiled rice of 50kg each, equivalent to 77 trailer loads; 265,830 litres of Premium Motor Spirit; 2,933 bales of used clothes
233 cartons of Tramadol (225mg each); 83 packs of 225mg; 65 units of used vehicles; 14,784 pieces of used tyres; 119 units of used motorcycles; and 3,659.05 kg of Indian hemp.
The anti-smuggling chief used the medium to remind the business community that the reopening of the borders is for legitimate businesses only.
Importers, agents and the general public are enjoined to be acquainted with the Federal Government’s fiscal policies, Customs extant regulations as well as the import and export prohibition lists for proper guidance.
Compt. Ejibunu disclosed that the sum of N577, 853,457.96 was collected as revenue derived from underpayments.
According to him, “We shall continue to facilitate legitimate and compliant traders to grow our local economy, while we sustain deliberate efforts aimed at frustrating recalcitrant traders; as seen in the volume of seizures presented”, he remarked.
