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…As Customs FOU Rakes In N1.46b, Intercepts 77 cars, 6003 bags of rice
The Managing Director of a popular 5-star Record label ‘E Money’, Mr. Emeka Okonkwo, visited the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) yesterday allegedly to negotiate the release of a car intercepted by the Unit.
The billionaire, whose business stretches from real estate to the music industry, was spotted by MMS Plus at the FOU Ikeja Customs administrative block discussing with senior Customs officers and our correspondent later gathered from some Customs officers within the premises that the music maestro visited the Customs base to negotiate the release of one of the exotic vehicles seized by the Unit.
When contacted on this issue, the Command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mr. Jerry Attah said he wasn’t aware of the reason the music star visited even as he opined that it could be a possibility that E-Money’s car was among the recently impounded exotic cars.
“It is very possible that his car is one of those seized by FOU but I don’t know the owners of the cars. I’m not the position to have that information” the FOU spokesman told MMS Plus.
When our correspondence reached the ‘E Money’ boss, he said he had discussed with several journalists at the premises and was exhausted; so he quickly entered his car to avoid further discussions.
Meanwhile, the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Ikeja has generated over N1.461,006,823.80k in the last three weeks with massive seizures including six thousand and three bags of foreign 50kg rice and seventy-seven cars.
The Controller of FOU Zone ‘A’ Ikeja, Compt. Mohammed Uba Garba disclosed this in a press briefing earlier today, revealing that ten suspects have so far been arrested in connection with these trade infractions and seizures, with an approximate Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N1.47 billion.
According to the CAC, the Unit recovered N166.21 million in March from duty payments and demand notices on general goods from the airport, seaports and border stations “through wrong classification, transfer of value and under-payment of duties,” bringing all to approximately N1.63 billion.
Unveiling the items to newsmen in Lagos on Wednesday, Comptroller Mohammed Garba said the seizures were made between March 19 and April 9, 2018, over such trade infractions as smuggling of both banned and free trade items, import under-declaration and under-payment.
The seized items included 13 detained, used exotic cars, comprising Toyota Land Cruiser (2018), Escalade Cadillac (2017), Range Rover (2014) and Toyota Camry (2017), among others, with an approximate DPV of N258.14 million.
According to Garba, these items were detained for the relevant customs documents, which must be tendered within the grace period, after which they become seizures. He disclosed that 64 of the previous seizures, worth approximately N918.68 million, have become seizures “after all necessary legal procedures, now awaiting court condemnation.”
Other items seized were 6,003 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice (equivalence of 10 trailer-loads) worth N74.04 million, 963 cartons of frozen poultry products worth N5.8 million, 431 jerry cans of vegetable oil valued at N4.9 million, 163 bales of used clothing worth N8 million, and 569 used tyres worth N3.1 million, among others.
Garba disclosed that the 1,550kg of Indian hemp, worth N74.4 million, which was intercepted along Olorunda axis of Ogun State, based on intelligence and handed over to NAFDAC officials yesterday, was the highest seizure of such hard drug in the history of the command.
“You all know what would have happened if it got to the wrong hands undetected. In the spirit of inter-agency relationship, the seized Indian hemp will be handed over to NDLEA for further investigations”, Garba said.
However, he warned intending smugglers and their accomplices to desist from such trade malpractices and invest their money in legitimate businesses, stressing that the FOU had devised several operational modalities that will make smugglers count their loses and get imprisoned.
By Kenneth Jukpor
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