The Ogun 1 Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted illicit goods with a cumulative duty paid value (DPV) ofN311,924,551.92 in July 2022.
This was made known by the Customs Area Controller in charge of the Command, Comptroller Bamidele Makinde while showcasing to newsmen the scorecard of the Command in the Month of July 2022.
“The Command during its intensive and intelligence-based anti-smuggling operationsrecorded a seizure of 3154 bags of foreign parboiled rice of 50kg each (an equivalent of 5trailer loads).
This quantity of rice, if allowed into the Nigerian market would have harmedthe Federal Government Rice Policy aimed at providing staple food at affordable prices and employment to jobless citizens.” He reiterated.
Other Seizures recorded are; 8 units of used Vehicles (means of conveyance ), 6 units of used Motorcycles (means of conveyance), 153 Bales and 68 sacks of used clothings.
Other seized items are: 79 Sacksof used Shoes, 111 cartons and 220 pieces of foreign wines, 301 pieces of used tyres, 724 Kegs of 25 litres each (18,100 litres) of PMS: 310 cartons of frozen Poultry products, 16 sacks of used bags.
According to Bamidele Makinde, during the period under review, the Command generated a total sum of Thirteen Million, Eight Hundred and Forty Eight Thousand, Three Hundred and Seventy Naira, Zero Kobo (#13,848,370.00) only from import duty and auction sales of petroleum products (PMS)intercepted during anti-smuggling operations.
He decried the use of trucks conveying cement as the means of concealing smuggled items, “A Lagos State registration no. EKY 971 YE belonging to Dangote group of companies, loaded with 75 bags of foreign parboiled rice of 50kg each concealed with 900 bags of Dangote cement was intercepted along Ibeshe road, Yewa North Local Government
Area of Ogun State, in the early hours of Sunday, 21st August 2022.
Another Dangote truck with Kano State registration no. BCH 531 XA loaded with 228 bags of smuggled foreign parboiled rice of 50 kg each concealed with some bags of Dangote cement along Lafenwa, Abeokuta axis, Ogun State.”
While appreciating stakeholders for their support, he thanked the management team of the Nigeria Customs Service under the leadership of Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) for the continuous support to the Command.
