Court Orders Customs to Pay N5.5bn Damages to Importer for Seizing 90 Containers of Rice
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) was Wednesday ordered by the Federal High Court in Abuja to pay an importer the sum of N5.5billion damages for seizure and detention of 90 containers of imported rice.
This was following a suit brought against the Customs by a firm Maggpiy Trading TFZE.
Justice Inyang Ekwo in his judgment said officials of the Customs acted without justification by law.
Justice Ekwo also held that the officials of the Customs also pilfered the rice they had seized from the importer while the case was being determined.
All the reliefs sought by the plaintiff were awarded by the court with general damages against the Customs Service.
The damages were to the tune of N3,805,638,950 and $4,796,550 against the Customs.
The Court also granted an order of perpetual injection stopping the defendants from unlawfully interfering with the lawful business transaction of the plaintiff at the . Tinapa Free Trade Zone.
The importer had in the suit told the court that officials of the Customs on March 2019 invaded and sealed its warehouse at the Tinapa Free Trade Zone.
Maggpiv also said the officials detained 40 trucks containing 317 transit containers of rice destined for the Tinapa Free Trade Zone, 120 days along Onne, Port-Harcourt.
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