Nigerian Customs seize goods worth N783m in three
weeks
The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit,
Zone ‘A’, has seized goods worth N783m between August 9 and 25, 2017, this was
made known by the Controller of the zone, Mohammed Garba, who disclosed this
while conducting journalists round the command’s warehouses where the seized
items were kept.
According to him, some of the items seized include 27
different brands of vehicles, ranging from 2007 to 2013 models, all valued at
N228.2m
In addition to frozen poultry, he listed other
confiscated items such foreign parboiled rice, Indian hemp, pharmaceutical
drugs, used tyres and general merchandise.Garba said that the unit also
impounded three containers with items worth N303.2m, due to what he called
false declaration.
He added that the unit recovered N252.1m from duty
payments and demand notices on general goods from importers who allegedly tried
to outsmart officers at seaports, airports and border stations through wrong
classification, transfer of value and short-change in duty payments meant for
the Federal Government.
“These seizures made it a cumulative amount of N783.6m
within the three weeks under review,” he stated.
Garba added that 15 persons had been arrested in
connection with the seizures while the pharmaceutical drugs and Indian hemp had
been handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and
Control and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, respectively.
The command had on August 11 alone impounded 37
assorted cars smuggled into Nigeria through the bush.
The NCS FOU’s spokesman, Jerry Attah, said the
seizures were not related.
Against the backdrop of the approaching ‘ember’
months, Garba reminded Nigerians that the government’s policy concerning
importation of rice and vehicles through the land borders remained unchanged.
He said, “For the avoidance of doubt, the Federal
Government’s policies banning the importation of rice and vehicles through the
land borders are still in force.
“As we enter the ember months this weekend when
economic activities strive to boom, let me use this opportunity to send this
warning message to smugglers within the South-West zone to desist from such
illegal trade as we are well equipped to cripple smugglers and send them out of
their illegitimate business.”
Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
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