Confiscates 8 trailers of rice, nets N1.4bn revenue

By Eguono Odjegba

THE Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has unravelled the smuggling of posh autos through border communities, using diplomatic cover.

The CAC, Comptroller Shoboiki (Mrs.) and top officer of the Command (right), while handing over the seized drugs to NAFDAC officials.

This comes as the Command raise alarm over another criminal device by smugglers to alter original vehicle chassis numbering through superimposition of fake chassis numbers, which effectively crashes duty payment.

The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Mohammed Garba Uba, while speaking withVanguard Maritime Report, however, said the Customs will always remain a step ahead of these unscrupulous elements out to undermine the national economy.

Uba said the command generated the sum of N1.3 billion as revenue between January and March 20, 2019.

Similarly, the Command’s anti-smuggling operations believed to have significantly been intensified leading to a reduction in smuggling activities nevertheless, fetched assortments of seizures valued at N214.4 million, bringing the cumulative revenue generated to N1.5 billion.

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When Vanguard Maritime Report visited, the warehouse at the Command was still filled to the roof with seized smuggled rice, despite efforts in recent time by the presidency to distribute seized items in government warehouses to the vulnerable in the society, especially the internally displaced persons, IDPs, and orphanages.

Speaking on the quantum of smuggled rice seized within the period under review, Uba gave the breakdown of the seizures including a total of 17 fairly used automobiles and six vehicles used as means of conveyance, with a Duty Paid Value, DPV, of N87.6 million.

The seizures according to Uba includes 4,745 bags of 50kg foreign rice, which is equivalent of 8 trailers, with a Duty Paid Value of N85.5, textiles materials, scrap metals and frozen seafood.