Customs intercepts N17.4bn Tokunbo vehicles, rice in Lagos, Ogun, Others

Abiola Seun   |   

The Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), yesterday said it intercepted used vehicles, Rice, poultry products and textiles worth N17.4billion in nine months.

In a press statement by the Public Relations Officer, FOU Zone A, Theophilus Duniya, the unit also issued Demand Notice (DN) on wrong classification and under-declaration of cargoes at the Lagos seaports from January to September.

According to the PRO, the acting CAC of the unit, DC Yahaya Usman vowed to block all revenue leakages, smuggling of illicit and prohibited goods in the interest of the nation’s socio-economic security across the South West geo-political Zone.

The statement reads, “the Federal Operations Unit of the Service was created to complement the Area Commands to ensure that revenue accruable to the federal government is not lost to desperate and unpatriotic smugglers through their sharp practices. Consequent upon this, the Ag. Controller, D/C Usman Yahaya, and his team are strongly determined to block all revenue leakages, smuggling of illicit and prohibited goods in the interest of the nation’s socio-economic security across the Zone (South-West).

“From January-September 2020, the Unit increased the federal government’s revenue with the sum of N1.6billion as revenue from demand notices raised on cargoes for either being under declared, wrongly classified or falsely declared.

The statement also said that the unit intercepted 117 units of vehicles and general goods in the year under review, “117 vehicles  were seized for various offences with a Duty Paid Value of N17.4billion was intercepted.”