14 Smugglers Held Over N818.12m Contraband
Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A has arrested 14 for smuggling over 9,917 bags of foreign parboiled rice (equivalent to over 16 truck-loads) and other contraband valued at N818.12million.
The unit’s Acting Comptroller, Hussein K. Ejibunu explained that the seizures were made at various locations in the Southwestern states.
Some of the goods seized within the month under review are 9,917 X 50kilogrammes bags of foreign parboiled rice (equivalent to over 16 truck loads); 812 X 5Kg and 120 X 2kg bags of basmati rice; 41,950 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS); 4X20 feet containers of unprocessed wood; 1,041 bales of used clothes; 5 units of vehicles; 8,500 pieces of used tyres; 599 cartons of frozen poultry products; 116.3 kilogrammes of Indian hemp; 29 units of motorcycles; 54 cartons of creams; 42 units of tiger generators and 3,260 pairs of used shoes. The cumulative Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seized items is N818.1 million
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Documentary checks on some of the cargoes show that the duties were under-paid while demand notices valued at N64.3 million were issued.
He noted that the Service now has a renewed vigour to fight the menace of smuggling having revised its operations to block revenue leakages and curb the import/export of prohibited goods, adding that during the preceding month, he explained that the officers of the unit were on high alert along the port and the border corridors to ensure that the national economy was protected from the activities of recalcitrant importers and traders.
Ejigbunu sought the support of Nigerians and urged them to key into the federal government’s policy aimed at supporting the growth of its local product.
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