The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service has announced the seizure of a substantial cache of items in about 14,574 seizures.
The seizures which have a Duty Paid Value, (DPV) of N1,241,777,700 includes 17 cash vehicles, foreign parboiled rice, Indian hemp, and other illicit goods.
The Acting Controller of the FOU Zone A, Hussein Ejibunu, disclosed this during a press briefing held in Lagos recently. The operation’s primary goal is to prevent revenue loss due to various infractions such as under-valuation, under-payments, and wrong classifications. The unit successfully recovered the sum of N115,456,534.94 from the issuance of Demand Notices (DN) to defaulters.
Giving the breakdown of the seizures, Ejibunu emphasized the magnitude of their efforts saying, “We were able to seize a total of 7,381 units of 50kg foreign parboiled rice from smugglers, equivalent to nearly thirteen trailer loads of foreign parboiled rice, seventeen vehicles, 657 pieces of used tires, 167 parcels of Indian hemp (equivalent to 202 kilograms), 39 bales of second-hand clothing, 100 packs of tomato ketchup, 4 units of used motorcycles, 600 cartons of GIV soap, and 730 sacks of hide and skin concealed in a 1×40 container, totaling 5,033 pieces.
Ejibunu called on well-meaning and patriotic Nigerians to continue supporting the FOU Zone ‘A’ with credible information that can aid in the fight against economic sabotage. The Acting Controller emphasized that their commitment to tackling smuggling and illegal activities remains unwavering.
The Acting Controller also revealed that Nine suspects have been arrested in connection with these seizures, with the dedicated efforts of seizing officers were AC Adewale Egunjobi and SC Johnzmaco Akabuisi were instrumental in this operation.
Ejibunu highlighted the importance of cooperation and synergy in combating criminal activities, reinforcing the unit’s determination to make life difficult for smugglers during the upcoming yuletide season and beyond.
He also lauded the Intelligence Unit of the Command for their excellent work and emphasized on the importance of consuming local products to strengthen the nation’s economy.
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