Customs intercepts 6,194 bags of smuggled foreign rice and 33 smuggled vehicles with minimal casualties

Tayo Oladipupo |

The Ogun Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it has heightened its fight against smugglers using motorcycles to bring in thousands of 50kg bags of rice into Nigeria.

Controller of the command, Michael Agbara who said it intercepted 6,194 bags of smuggled foreign rice and 33 smuggled vehicles within the month of August 2018, disclosed that the seizures were being made with minimal casualties.

Agbara said smugglers carry as much as 10 bags of rice per trip on a motorcycle speeding into the country and their large number can bring in a shipload of rice in a day if unchecked.

According to him, as a way of avoiding accidents and casualties while attempting to make seizures, the command allow some of the rice laden motorcycles to pass through.

Customs officers later trace them to the warehouses where they discharge before seizures of all the rice in the uncovered warehouses.

While talking about the seizure of the foreign bags of rice, he said this was the first time the command would make the highest number of such monthly seizure since he took over the mantle of leadership in the command.

He added that the tempo of rice and other seizures will be sustained and improved upon as the end gradually winds up when trading and smuggling activities are likely to increase.

Agbara, who showed journalists some of the seized motorcycles used by smugglers, said within the period under review, the command also seized 395 kegs of vegetable oil, 1,954 pairs of used footwear, 340 kegs of Premium Motor Spirit and 45 cartons of frozen poultry products among others.

The Controller added that between January and August 2018, it made a seizure of 27,085 bags of foreign rice which exceeded 21,789 seized in the command from January to December 2017.

He further disclosed that the command generated a total revenue of N799,682,839.62, surpassing the monthly revenue target of N727,775,499.91.

Ogun State has been widely viewed in customs circle, as Nigeria’s hotbed for smuggling in the southwest region, where customs officers record the highest number of casualties among its personnel with some dying and many sustaining various degrees of injuries.