Just in: Customs FOU Ikeja smokes out smugglers concealing rice, vegetbale oil in gas cylinders
The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A, Ikeja Tuesday displayed before journalists, seizures made by the eagle-eyed strike team of the command.
Most disturbing was the strange and deadly tactics of smuggling parboiled rice in gas cylinders to deceive Customs detectives which failed.
Addressing journalists, the Acting Controller of the Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’, Usman Yahaya said the unrelenting efforts of the Command have continued to yield more result in its anti-smuggling drives.
He revealed that barely two weeks after the Comptroller-General of Customs working visit to Lagos where he showcased various seizures made by FOU A worth over N10bn, the Unit has again intercepted 1,393 bags of smuggled foreign parboiled rice, 187 jerrycans/66 drums of foreign vegetable oil 625 Cartons of poultry products and 50 jerrycans of foreign vegetable oil from unapproved routes within Ogun State between 5th -17th February 2020 based on surveillance and routine patrol.
The rice, vegetable Oil and poultry products were conveyed in 12 different motor vehicles and also concealed in gas cylinders with a cumulative duty paid value of Forty Million, One Hundred and Forty Four Thousand, Two Hundred and Fifty Naira Only (N40,144,250.00) This desperate act by these dare devil smugglers concealing edible items in a gas cylinder further justifies the hard chase by operatives of Customs. (DPV Break down of the seized items: Rice N27,860,000.00, Veg. Oil N6,284,250.00 and frozen Poultry N6,000,000.00)
DC Usman Yahaya warned that unless the economic saboteurs repent from their unscrupulous activities, they will continue to count their losses. He also advised legitimate traders to be compliant in their declarations as the unit is ever ready to facilitate their trade in line with world best practices.
While thanking the Comptroller General of Customs Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) and the entire Management Team of the Nigeria Customs Service for providing necessary logistics and motivation that led to this feat, Ag. Comptroller Usman Yahaya called on all meaningful Nigerians to support the Service’s fight against smuggling activities by providing intelligence that could assist the unit achieve more monumental seizures.
