ABUJA: Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja Lagos, has recovered a total sum of N229.50 million through its newly reviewed anti-smuggling operations in the Lagos area. Mohammed Uba Garba, Customs Area controller of the command, told newsmen in Lagos yesterday that the command recorded this from June 13 to July 10, following the reviewed operational strategies of the unit that enabled the officers meet up with the current trend of smuggling.
According to Garba, the unit intercepted various contraband cargoes with a duty paid value (DPV) of N200, 995,641.8 million in one month of June 13 to July 10, and “the unit also recovered N28,954,448 million from duty payments and demand notices on general goods that tried to outsmart officers at seaports, airports and border stations.” He said demand notices were raised on cargoes that were wrongly classified, under valued with the intention to short-changing the government of its revenue, saying, “This is another spectacular breakthrough in anti-smuggling operations recorded under my watch.”
He further said 15 suspects had been arrested in connections with the seizures, noting, “Within this period, 40 different seizures were recorded comprising vegetable oil, foreign parboiled rice, frozen poultry products, smuggled vehicles, medicaments, used tyres and other general merchandise.” He however stated that the fight against smuggling could only be won if all hands were on deck and through the commitment, doggedness, resilience and diligence of the officers of the FOU Zone ‘A’ for foiling the antics of the smugglers, who used different methods to conceal offensive import and export goods. “We recently intercepted 1,442 cartons of drugs (Tramadol 225/120mg) in container number MSKU 98895 1X40ft and a MAN Diesel truck with registration number, RRU 513 XA along Apapa-Oshodi and Ijebu Ode Express ways.
Tramadol, he said, is a contraband medicine and only God knows what would have happened if these drugs get to the wrong hands. He assured that the drugs would be handed over to National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for further investigation. He also said the unit seized seven containers that contravened Customs law by means of false declaration and breach of import prohibition list by trade. “While three of the containers contained 5,014 pieces of used tyres, used fridges, used double electric burner, the other containers carried 499 cartons of Eva soap as against poultry incubator declared in the Single Goods Declaration form”. The unit also intercepted one DAF Truck with reg. no. DAL 543 ZX carrying 1,200 cartons of smuggled poultry products along Ibadan expressway just as container no. BOMU 588006/6 1X40ft conveying 400 bales of second hand clothing was also seized.
