FOU Customs Intercept 15 Trailers Loaded With Parboiled Rice, Arrest 12 suspects
By Chinyere Ikem/LAGOS/ Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit, Zone 2 have intercepted various contraband with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of one Billion, three Hundred and forty five million, five hundred and seventy Two thousand, three hundred and thirteen naira,(N1, 345,572, 572,313)Similarly,
The unit through its interventions recovered fifty million, five hundred and six thousand, seven hundred and seventy three naira, twenty five kobo (59, 506, 773, 25) from underpayments making a cumulative of one billion, four hundred and five million, seventy nine thousand, eighty six naira only (N1, 405, 079, 086) within the weeks under review.
The seized items includes; 15 exotic vehicles including 3 Toyota C-HR (2018 models),1 Toyota Camry LE (2018), 1Toyota Prado (2018), 1 Toyota Hilux (2017), 1 Mercedes Benz (2017) among others. Other spectacular seizures includes 9, 049 bags of foreign parboiled rice (15 trailers ), 1, 464 cartons of frozen poultry products, 870 jerrycans of vegetable oil, 273 bales of used pieces of used clothing, 592 pieces of of used tyres among others.Briefing mediamen, the Customs Area Controller of the Unit, Comptroller Mohammed Uba Garba said that four containers with no; PC1U850134/9, PC1U8278544; FC1U983753 and TGHU6924330 have been seized for false declaration.According to him, two of the containers were carrying 8, 633 pieces of empty cylinders as against plumbing materials declared in their SGD, the other two carried 120 bales of new jeans as against punching machine declared in the SGD. Even total of 12 suspects were arrested in connection of these 112 seizure.Uba noted that in order to ensure full implementation of the government policy of banning of importation of Rice through land borders and the following headquarters directive on same.
“We re strategized our operational modalities and bea. Our searchlight at the creek, waterside and at various locations ib southwest zone and hence the reason for massive rice seizure within the period under review, said he.We will continue to make sure smugglers withe our areas of jurisdiction coung their losses until they repent from sabotaging our economy. Smuggling is global phenomenon that cannot be eradicated entirely but all hands should be on deck to reduced it to barest minimum.