CUSTOMS GAINED OVER N5BILLION FROM DUTIES PAID ON CONTRABAND GOODS.{PHOTOS}#PRESS RELEASE. Done

       BEING ADDRESS OF THE CONTROLLER FEDERAL OPERATIONS UNIT, ZONE A, IKEJA LAGOS, COMPTROLLER MOHAMMED UBA DURING HIS PRESS BRIEFING ON WEDNESDAY 6TH DECEMBER 2017 IN LAGOS, NIGERIA

Ladies and Gentlemen of the press

It gives me great pleasure to brief you once again on some of the recent gains of Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit anti-smuggling operations. From 1st - 30th November 2017, after intensifying our operational modalities to meet up with the current smuggling tactics most especially as the yuletide draws closer , we have intercepted various contraband with a duty paid value (DPV) of One Billion, Five Hundred and Ninety Five Million, One Hundred and Forty One Thousand, One Hundred and Forty Four Naira, Eighty One Kobo (N1,595,141,144.81) only.

2.The seized items include: 64 assorted vehicles (mostly brand new), 13,333 bags of foreign parboiled rice (that’s like 22 trailers), 1,390 cartons of frozen poultry products, 835 jerrycans of vegetable oil, 15 parcels of Indian Hemp, 1,101 pieces of used tyres, 205 bales of used clothing among others. We need to support the Federal Government policy on Rice, encourage local rice farmers, the millers and patronize our own nutritional rice.

3. Among the detained vehicles include 2 Lexus Jeep (Bullet Proof), 1 Toyota Land Cruiser (Bullet Proof), 9 Toyota Hilux, 8 Toyota Hiace Bus, 26 Toyota Corolla, 9 Land Cruiser Jeep, , 5 Toyota Camry, 1 Land Rover, 1 Nissan Sentra, 1 Pajero Jeep, all 2017 models and 1 Sienna 2015 model and 1 Lexus RX 350 among others . These 64 assorted Vehicles alone have a duty paid value of One Billion, Three Hundred and Two Million, Nine Hundred and Twenty Seven Thousand, One Hundred and Six Naira, Sixteen kobo (N1,302,927,106.16) only.

4. While 57 vehicles were evacuated based on intelligence along Omole Estate, Ojodu and Olayiwole Close Lekki Phase one, the remaining 7 were intercepted while on information patrol along Ijebu Ode expressway and Olorunda. As I speak with you, no body has come forward to claim ownership yet because we doubt if they have any customs papers on the vehicles, not to talk of the End-User Certificate for the bullet proof. Our Legal unit has already been mandated to investigate it and as soon as we get any head way about the owners or their agents, we will let the public know.

5. A total of 17/20ft containers loaded with wood are under detention on the suspicion that they have not met the required guidelines for export Also 1x20ft container was seized for carrying 385 cartons of Tiffany Crunch n’ Cream biscuit, 2,300 cartons of Tiffany chocolate and Toffee Sweet as against Engine Block declared in SGD. This is clear case of false declaration which tantamount to seizure.

6.Within the period under review, we have also recovered One Hundred and Eight Million, Three Hundred and Six Thousand, Eighteen Naira, Twenty Five Kobo (N108,306,018.25) making a cumulative of One Billion, Seven Hundred and Three Million, Four Hundred and Forty Seven Thousand, One Hundred and Sixty Three Naira, Six kobo (N1,703,447,163.06). In the spirit of inter-agency collaboration; the seized Indian hemp will be handed over to NDLEA after this press briefing for further investigation. Five (5) suspects have been arrested in connection with these 185 seizures and are currently in our custody.

7. Let me still use this opportunity to thank the Comptroller General of Customs Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) and the entire Management Team of the Nigeria Customs Service for providing necessary logistics that brought about this feat.

8. More importantly, let me thank you, members of the media for your continued support to inform, sensitize and educate the general public on the effects of smuggling to the nation’s economy.

9. Thank you for listening.

More photos below.