The Nigerian Police have uncovered a Dubai import syndicate that has for long time rendered Nigeria Customs Service(NCS) physical inspection regime nonsense through fake importation and duty evasion.
This follows the arrest and detention last week of a 40ft container with registration number MSKU 1345933 by operatives of the Maritime Command, Force Headquarter Annex, Lagos. The detention was ordered by police Assistant Inspector General (AIG)in charge of the Maritime Command at the Force Headquarters Annex Lagos, upon discovery that the container was laden with contrabands and trade goods that were apparently concealed to avoid payment of appropriate duty. But very unprofessionally, the Police authority could not establish the value of the container. They equally did not establish the port where the container was cleared and the customs officers that authorized the delivery.
Miffed by the development, the police authority said the Interpol would be contacted to help in tracking down the importer who is believed to be hiding in Dubai.
Speaking to journalists at Kam in Lagos, the AIG in charge of the Maritime Command, Mohammed Katsina, said that the container was arrested along the Mile 12/Ikorodu road Lagos, on its way to a hideout, where the goods were to be discharged.
He said that upon close examination by his men they identified the offensive goods to include used tyres and furniture, in addition to two vehicles which were wrongly classified and incorrectly valued in a bid to shortchange government of the correct import revenue. He further disclosed that one of the vehicles was not declared at all, and explained that the content of the container revealed assortment of other trade goods and insignificant quantity of motor spare parts, all of which was however incorrectly declared as spare parts.
During un-stuffing of the containers, the tyres in fairly large quantity were found to have been stuffed five into one. Katsina expressed disappointment and shock at the criminal ingenuity in the manner some of the items were stuffed in addition to two concealed vehicles including the tyres, even as he disclosed that preliminary investigation show that the expired tyres were to have been re-treaded and sold as new to Nigerians, despite the safety implication.
The police chief explained that documents presented indicate that the Mercedes Benz car and the Toyota Camry were 2010 model, against the 2001 declared in the bill of laden, while only the Toyota was declared. He further explained that the principal suspect, who is the customs clearing agent, is helping them with their investigation.
He said, “We are here today to witness what we call achievements in our determination to ensure that the maritime environment is not only secured but all those criminals are identified, investigated and prosecuted. The crime for which reason you are here is water borne crime.
“The primary scene of crime was somewhere in Dubai. This container loaded with offensive materials took from Dubai and entered the Nigerian territorial space. My men on surveillance duty somewhere in Lagos intercepted it having been reliably informed through our intelligence corridor of the offensive materials the contained carried.
“I ordered for the stoppage of the container, and ordered for it to be brought here. On close examination, we discovered different scenarios in the container. One of the first item discovered is this red Toyota Camry 2010 model which was declared 2001 model. Inside the container is another vehicle, a Mercedes Benz, but which investigation revealed was never declared. We also saw hundreds of hundreds of used tyres. The tryes are all expired; some of them expired more than five years ago.
“How did they find their way into the Nigerian territorial space? That is what we are investigating. Gentlemen of the Press, this issue of expired tyres, I can tell you that if we have not intercepted this container, the tyres would have ended up in a secret processing area where they will be subjected to all forms of recycling only for them to appear in the market as new. Then me and you will go and buy our coffin with our own money. You fix it in the vehicle, you ply the road, the next thing you know is a burst, followed by shrill agonizing cries of victims, then terrifying silence, and then obituary.
“The irony and tragedy is that those responsible always smile to the bank, acquiring mansions all over the world, using blood money to buy unmerited chieftaincy titles, leaving in their trail death, sorrow and anguish.
“We have gotten details about this, the offence has international connection, we are going to rely heavily on the Interpol to bring the principal actors to justice. The principal architect is hiding somewhere in Dubai.
“The maritime police command under my watch will not spare any effort to clean our territorial waters and waterways of any act that has the capability of inflicting pains on the people. And going back to this issue of under declaration and concealment, now you can see through rough estimation how over two million robbed from the federal government. If we want to use this container as basis for generalization, and from what we have gathered, ten of this container escapes through our watch, which means in a day, we may end up losing twenty million naira.
“If you multiply that by a month, it is 600 million naira robbed from the FG. Wouldn’t this amount be enough to sink bore holes in some genuine worm infested communities in Anambra State? Wouldn’t the money have been enough to fight drought and dessert encroachment in parts of the North, by buying trees and planting them?, he asked in bewilderment, adding.
“The moral question is not about enforcement, it is about everybody. I am in close contact with officers of the Nigeria Customs Service; we are going to work together with them in a very flourishing synergy. And after here, the first action we are going to take…all what was not declared, they will pay the normal duty. After that, the customs will hand them over to us for prosecution but the manhunt for the syndicate will continue until we get them.
“I want to use this opportunity to advise the public that life has no duplicate. When next people want to buy tyres, we have reputable companies in Nigeria. Let us not rush, let us be patient to get to the appropriate market with the standard tyres to buy.
“There is no way we can fight crime without you members of the press. I am seeing some of you for the first time, but I have the stamina to carry all of you on my back on every stage and station of the fight against criminality and economic sabotage. We will go all out and you the press will be the third eye. If we are doing it right, tell the world, where we are wrong, don’t hesitate to beat us back to track with your constructive criticism”, he said.
When asked about the value of the seizure, he said, “I am not an economist or trained in valuation but definitely it runs into millions of naira”, adding that in the days ahead, the police will be needing the technical assistance of men of the Nigeria Customs Service, who he said have been strong and reliable ally in the present development.
The police chief also said he was not in the position to know which port the contained passed through. “Well I would not be able to know which entry point it came into the country, it was apprehended around Ikorodu road around 12 midnight on their way to their hiding place”.
The suspect, Okey Ndubuisi who was paraded while speaking with our reporter, denied knowledge of the criminal content, saying he acted based on information the importer who is currently at large, supplied him. He said he is a victim as much the society, expressing regrets for having anything to do with the matter.
Speaking with the clearing agent, he said, “My name is OkeyNdubisi, I am a clearing agent. Actually the content of the container stated in the manifest is used auto parts and a Toyota Camry 2010. I paid for the auto parts, I paid for the Toyota Camry but any other thing in the container, I don’t know.
“I am 30 years in this business, this is the first time I am experiencing this type of problem, and I am really sorry for this embarrassment. What is in the bill laden is 2001 but what the Chassis number carried is 2010. And what I paid for is 2010”, he said.
