By Adetokunbo FAKEYE
The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos, in its continuous and renewed vigour to fight smuggling activated an enhanced intelligence gathering and information sharing mechanism, which made the command to identify some new smuggling hot spots and schemes employed by smugglers, that yielded 60 seizures worth a total duty paid value of ₦854,156,712 in January, 2024.
The Unit boss, Comptroller Hussein Kehinde Ejibunu, who disclosed this today, Tuesday 6th February, 2024 while addressing the media at the Unit headquarters in Lagos, gave the seizures as, 3,653 X 50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice (equivalent to 6.5 trailer loads); 23,025 litres of PMS; 241 bales of used clothes; 1,490 kg of Indian Hemp; 1,220 cartons of foreign tomato paste; 983 pieces of used tyres; 104 units of Haojuo motorcycles; 556 cartons of slippers; 11 units of used vehicles.
According to him, the status of the goods was found to have contravened different sections of the Customs Act (2023), while some were expired at the time of importation; others flaunted the import statutory guidelines. “A total of ten suspects were arrested in connection with some of the goods”, he added.
On revenue recovery, the anti-smuggling czar said, the sum of ₦83,141,803.60 was generated through documentary checks and issuance of demand notices on consignments that were found to have been short-paid.
Ejibunu thanked the officers and men of the Federal Operations Unit Zone A, for their hard work and dedication to duty, and other security agencies for their coordinated efforts, support and cooperation towards some of the successes recorded by this Unit in the preceding year, 2023.
“In a like manner, I also appreciate the patriotism of compliant importers, exporters and agents for their compliance with the Service’s extant procedures and regulations; I urge you to keep it up”, he said.
Smuggling, he stated, is a crime that has to do with; the act of false declaration and concealment of goods, the use of unapproved routes and ports for the exportation or importation of goods, forging of Customs documents, willful under-payment of Customs duties, and trafficking in prohibited or restricted goods among others.
The impact of smuggling, Ejibunu said, has very serious repercussions on the economy, the environment, health and security. Thus, to restrain this trend of illegal commercial activities, there is the need for collaboration and strong partnership with other critical stakeholders through sharing of information and intelligence.
“The general public is encouraged to be aware of the consequences of smuggling and its harmful effects; because it is this awareness that would help to reduce the demand for smuggled goods and discourage individuals from participating in smuggling activities.
“Having established the fact that smuggling is a crime which affects the general wellbeing of the nation; it becomes compelling for all patriotic citizens to join the enforcement and regulatory agencies to curb the menace of smuggling”, he stated.
