ABUJA: The e-auction of seized vehicles and goods by the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Ogun State command, started on Thursday but with a mild drama. At the exercise, about 45 bidders were handed keys to their vehicles, having fulfilled all necessary conditions attached to the auctioning. The exercise, which took place at the Idi -Iroko border office of the command, witnessed a dramatic scene when a bidder who was duped by a suspected hacker of customs website stormed the venue.
The bidder, Julius Ajasa, who came to claim his vehicle was told by the officers that he had fake papers. It was later discovered that he had been duped by a hacker who tricked him into paying the prescribed fees into an account. But when the victim was asked to put a call across to the number provided by the hacker, the calls were rejected. The documents he brought had Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, registration number RC 06547 which indicated that he was successful on the bid to acquire a Toyota Cammry 2010 model. The Comptroller of Customs, Ogun State Command, Sanni Maduggu, said the exercise was transparent, adding that it would be a continuous one. He however cautioned prospective bidders to be cautious of fraudsters stressing that the exercise is now initiated online, and that the appropriate website of the service should be visited.
