Mohammed Shosanya
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone ‘A’,says its onslaught against smugglers will be fiercer with a renewed determination to uncover them using intelligence-backed enforcement in the second half of the year.
Hussein K Ejibunu, Acting Controller of the Unit disclosed this at a press briefing in Lagos on Wednesday.
He said:“We shall get recalcitrant traders and their agents arrested and prosecuted in addition to seizing their wares.At this point, members of the trading community are advised to further embrace compliance and shun any act that would place them on the wrong side of the law.
“We advise them to keep themselves abreast of the import and export prohibition lists because claims of ignorance will not suffice as an excuse whenever they are caught.”
He disclosed that the unit arrested a total of 60 suspected smugglers between January and June, 2023.
It also intercepted and seized 580 smuggled goods valued at N4,022,960,075 during the period under review.
Ejibunu, a Deputy Comptroller of Customs (DC), said the Unit also recovered a total of N400,599,515.66 as revenue through the issuance of Demand Notices (DN).
He said,prominent among the seizures, s rice, which amounts to 36,742 bags X 50kg foreign parboiled rice, equivalent to 62 trailer-load.
He said that some of them were ferried through bush paths by smugglers who used motorcycles and rickety vehicles as means of conveyance.
Other seizures are 14,015 (7,728) parcels of Indian hemp; 1,064 bales of used clothing, 450 x 106 kg drums of carbide, 2 x 20 containers of unprocessed wood; 1,448 pieces of foreign rugs, 30 units of used motorcycles; 44 units of used vehicles (Tokunbo), 218,575 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 860 cartons of foreign poultry products and 833 pieces of used tyres.
Speaking further, DC Ejibunu said: “While this briefing dwells on our ant-smuggling activities which aim to protect our economy and prevent revenue loss, it is also aimed at discouraging unlawful activities especially those that contravene the Customs extant laws.
“Within the first six months of the year, our activities resulted in a high volume and value of seizures with some suspects arrested. We also succeeded in preventing the entry of dangerous or harmful substances like illicit drugs into the society.
“Our strategic intervention also achieved recovery of revenue through the issuance of demand notices to complete underpaid duties into the federal government coffers that were being evaded by some importers and their agents.
“For the period under review, we made 580 seizures with a duty-paid value of N4,022,960,075. We also arrested 60 suspects and recovered a total of N400,599,515.66 as revenue through the issuance of demand notices.
“We wish to express our profound gratitude to sister security agencies for their unflinching synergy in the course of our operations; special mention to the Department of State Security Services- Oyo State Command for the arrest of a notorious suspect that was on the wanted list for attack on a Customs patrol team escorting exhibits.
“Interestingly, this suspect was arrested and handed over the Unit yesterday.Through the federal high courts, 11 suspects were convicted for committing offences of improper importation, assault of Customs officers, being in possession of foreign parboiled rice and for being in possession of Pangolin scales meant for export.
“While some other smuggling and related cases instituted in the courts are at various stages of prosecution and would be followed up diligently”
