Yuletide: Customs FOU intercepts 66 Trucks of Smuggled Rice, Vehicles worth N5.1b

ABIOLA Seun

The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has unveiled smuggled items, including 58 vehicles, 39,664 bags of 50kg rice and others with an approximate Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N5.1 billion.

The seizures, recorded from August 17 to December 10, 2018 under the incumbent head of the unit, Compt. Mohammed Aliyu, included 58 vehicles (comprising 34 exotic brands still under detention and 24 others already seized, as well as 39,664 bags (66 trailers) of 50kg foreign parboiled rice.

Also seized were 3,252 cartons of frozen poultry products, 2,887 jerry cans of vegetable oil, 3,792 parcels of Indian Hemp, 5x20ft containers of unprocessed wood, 2,520 bales of used clothing, 710 cartons of tramadol, and 17 sacks (510kg) of pangolin scale, among others.

Commenting on the performance within the period under review, Compt. Aliyu restated the unit’s determination to succeed at all cost as the nation’s second layer of defence, insisting that they would aggressively pursue the enforcement of Federal Government’s policy on self-sufficiency in food production.

Others include revamping the nation’s economic recovery plan, strengthening national security and ameliorating the potential health hazards and negative impact of smuggled items to the average Nigerian. To succeed in this task, he urged all stakeholders to comply with all clearance procedures and extant laws.

Lamenting the dire consequences of illicit substances intercepted by the customs, including the recent successive seizures of tramadol and other regulated drugs at different ports in the country, Aliyu warned that no one knows the potential victims of the dangerous drugs.

As part of its contributions to the health, security and well-being of country, he said the FOU Zone A, Ikeja was offering citizens “the greatest New Year gift of the modest sacrifice by its officers and men in combating the menace of these illicit substances to protect the future of Nigeria’s endangered youths.”

He insisted that the unit would maintain total compliance to ensure “effective revenue generation, suppression of smuggling, facilitation of legitimate trade and protection of national security.”