The Customs Comptroller of Adamawa/Taraba Area Command, Compt. Salihu Kazaure Abdullahi has announced the massive seizure of assorted items with Cumulative Duty Paid Value (DV) of thirteen Million, three hundred and fifty-two thousand, One hundred naira and zero Kobo only (N13,352,100.00).
Addressing media executives at the Yola Headquarters of the command on Friday, said the unrelenting and gallantry efforts of the Command’s operatives with regards to countering smuggling activities and illicit trade across the command’s frontiers have yielded results.
According to him, “In line with the policy thrust ofthe Comptroller General ofNigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR- Consolidation, Collaboration and Innovation coupled with the core mandate of the service – Revenue generation, trade facilitation and suppression of smuggling amongst others as enshrined in section 4 of NCS Act 2023, the Command has repositioned all machineries across all its territorial borders in collaboration with other sister agencies towards achieving the hereinbefore core mandate of the service. The result of these unwavering and collaborative efforts of the command’s operatives had yielded a landslide success of the numerous seizures of items recorded hitherto. This success could invariably be predicated to the intelligence sharing, synergy and resolute efforts of our operatives.
Some of the seized items include the following:
16,675Litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) packed in 643×25L Jerry Cans and 3 x 200L drums.
li.
20× 50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice and
One used V/Wagon Golf with a big reconstructed fuel tank.
Scanned with CamScanner
He further explained that “Despite the subsidy removal on the Premium Motor spirit (PMS), it is evident that the smuggling of the product from Nigeria to some other African countries still persists. This is as a result of high fuel demand and higher price in the neighbouring countries like Cameroon, Togo and Benin republic. This sustained demand makes illicit exportation of this product into these countries highly profitable for the unpatriotic Nigerians to fill the
supply gaps.
“The fuel smuggling syndicates are so stubborn and having extensive resources, intelligence and distribution networks coupled with the high profit they are making from the illicit business, they take it as a do-or-die affair to maintain it by al means. However, the Nigeria Customs Service on its own part has continuously been reviewing its robust strategies to crack down on this illicit business. Specially, the Nigeria Customs Service, Adamawa/Taraba Area Commandhas been battling to crack down on the smuggling of Premium Motor Spirit known as Petrol. In the last two weeks we made seizures of 245 Jerry Cans of 25ltrs each of this Petrol on its way to Cameroon. This is what we have continuously been doing but due to its inflammable nature we auction it as soon as it is brought to the station. These 245 Jerry Cans too will be auctioned immediately after this briefing in accordance with provision of section 246 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 and the proceeds accrued remitted into the Federation Account
accordingly. Sometime before the end of Last year, during one of our press briefings we showcased foreign juice and alcoholic bullet drinks with Vodka that were expired and unregistered and were seized by our operatives.
The Headquarters of the Nigeria Customs Service directed us to destroy these items in collaboration with the NAFDAC officials here present and that will be done immediately after this briefing.
According to Abdullahi, “Smuggling is very harmful to the nation. It impedes our national development, suffocates our economic policies in terms of revenue, protection of local industries and potential, food security and general security of the nation.
“The Nigeria Customs Service, Adamawa/Taraba Area Command in this regards, will never relent in its fight against the menace ofsmuggling until ti is brought to zero level. We want tounequivocally tell the smugglers that the more they change tactics the more we change our own and God willing the truth will always prevail over falsehood.
“These huge successes recorded so far is predicated on the unflinching support and motivation of the management ofthe Nigeria Customs Service under the dogged leadership of Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR who has continued to give all the required supports and logistics for our smooth anti-Scanned with CamScanner smuggling operations.
“We sincerely appreciate his unalloyed support towards uplifting the service. The collaborative synergy of all the Customs Units comprising the CIU, FOU, SIS, Valuation, ICT and other security agencies must also be reckoned with.
“To the smugglers, I advise you to forsake economic sabotage and illicit trade into and out of the command’s frontiers and embrace legitimate business as Adamawa/Taraba Command’s operatives will not rest on their oars until we rid all the borders ofthis illicit trade,” Abudllahi averred.
