FOU Customs intercepts N1bn items, 30 exotic cars in 3 weeks …Arrests 14 suspects ..Seizes 2 trucks worth 25million for false declaration .Impounds hard drugs

FOU Customs intercepts N1bn items, 30 exotic cars in 3 weeks

.Arrests 14 suspects

.Seizes 2 trucks worth N25million for false declaration

.Impounds hard drugs

By Udeme Clement

Smugglers operating within Federal Operations Unit ,FOU, Zone ‘A’ of Nigeria Customs Service, NCS,  must be counting their losses by now, as the Unit just recorded massive seizures of prohibited items with a Duty Paid  Value of over N1billion, smuggled into the country illegally, within just three weeks, (From April 10, to May 15, 2018).

Also, the Unit through its interventions recorded underpayments recovery of N28.8million (approximately N29million), within this short period under review.

The Unit through its strong enforcement surveillance arrested 14 suspects in connection with 125 seizures.

In the same  vein,  FOU Zone ‘A’ impounded 30 exotic vehicles, which include seven Toyota Hilux (2018 models); three Toyota Prado Jeep (2017 models), one Range Rover and one Ford Edge (2015 model).

The Customs Area Controller, CAC, of FOU Zone ‘A’, Comptroller Mohammed Uba, while taking Journalists round the large workshop where the seized items were kept, revealed, “Some of the seizures include 5,516 bags of foreign rice (9 trailers), 1,078 cartons of frozen poultry products, 216 jerrycans of vegetable oil, 173 bales of used clothing, 683 pieces of used tyres and eight sacks of Indian Hemp, weighing 134kg among others”.

The CAC further disclosed, “Two containers with numbers MSKU130295/2 and MRKU877714/0, attracting DPV of over N25 million were also seized for false deceleration”.

Comptroller Uba enthused, “Let me commend the officers and Men of the Unit for living up to their statutory responsibilities in tackling smuggling, blocking all revenue leakages and enhancing trade facilitation towards sustaining best international standards.
We are unflinching with our mandates and no method of distraction will deter us from performing our statutory duties”.

The CAC warned, “We must continue to make this zone uncomfortable for smugglers to operate, while urging Nigerians to be patriotic and report smuggling activities in their areas to the service. Intelligence provided will be treated in confidence”.

He went on, “Let me advise these economic saboteurs, as well as fraudulent importers to invest their resources in legitimate trade and desist from engaging in nefarious activities, as the Service and indeed the Unit will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute culprits”.

His words, “For the avoidance of doubt, after the Court processes and condemnation, the Presidential Committee on Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs,  chaired by the Comptroller-General of Customs, CGC, Hameed Ali, approved evacuation of the following items to Borno State Government, for distribution to IDPs, through the Nigerian Army Corps of supply and Transport, NASCT, 25,318 bags of rice (42 Trailers), 3,366 jerrycans of oil,  175 gallons of vegetable oil (5liters each), 1,564 bales/122 sacks of second hand clothing and 196 sacks/ 938 pairs of used shoes. That is the reason these trucks are lined up by the Government warehouse, as you can see here”

He said, “I am using this opportunity to thank CGC Hameed Ali, and the entire management of the Service for their untiring logistics support, which brought about this feat, as well as the media for their continuous reportage of our activities.”