Black Xmas for Importers as Customs Seizes 9 Trailers of Foreign Rice, 13 Tokunbo Vehicles

• Seized items value at N872.5m
• By Our Reporter
It was a bad Christmas season for importers of nine trailers and 13 Tokunbo vehicles which were intercepted by the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A, of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
The Acting Controller of the unit, Hussein Kehinde Ejibunu told newsmen that 11 suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures.
According to him, the Unit also seized a Toyota Highlander which had bags of foreign parboiled rice concealed in it at Iju-Ojuore , Ogun State.
Breakdown of the seizures and others include 18,100 litres of premium motor spirit, 376 bales of used clothes,
1,926 cartons of frozen poultry products,
337 pieces of used compressors, 3 X 40 ft containers found to contain
3,838 pieces of used tyres,
13 used vehicles (Tokunbo) and
396 cartons of frozen fish.
He put the total duty paid value of the seized goods at N872,575,250.
The Controller added that the sum of N71,254,984.71 was realized by the Unit through issuance of demand notices on items that were found to have paid less in Customs duties.
He told newsmen, “Smuggling operations that employ ingenious concealment methods can have a chance of successfully trafficking illegal goods across borders or checkpoints without being noticed.
“This calls for the collaborative efforts of all citizens to support the Service by providing useful and timely information that would aid the anti-smuggling drive.
“These seizures reflect our commitment to the discharge of our functions; aimed at protecting the nation’s economy and preventing the importation of prohibited and harmful products from entering our domestic markets” .

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