The Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone ‘A’ Ikeja, Lagos of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), intercepted various contraband with a duty paid value (DPV) of Four Billion, Four Million, Two Hundred and Fifty Eight Thousand, Three Hundred and Thirty One Naira, Fifty Two Kobo only (4,004,258,331.52) between January to December 2017.
Contained in a statement made available to MMS Plus by the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Jerry Attah, the unit having intensified its anti-smuggling operations and through its interventions recovered One Billion, Nine Hundred and Fifty Six Million, Twenty Two Thousand, Five Hundred and Thirty One Naira, Sixty Five Kobo only (N1,956,022,531.65) from duty payments and demand notices on general goods that tried to beat the system from seaports, airport and border stations through wrong classification, transfer of value, and shortchange in duty payment that are meant for the Federal Government of Nigeria, making a cumulative of Five Billion, Nine Hundred and Sixty Million, Two Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Eight Hundred and Sixty Three Naira, only (5,960,280,863.00) in the year 2017.
According to the statement, One hundred and seventy (179) suspects were arrested in connection to the one thousand forty six (1,046) different seizures ranging from foreign parboiled rice, frozen poultry products, vegetable oil, smuggled vehicles, Indian hemp, arms, fake pharmaceutical/medicaments and various general merchandise.
In the statement, the Controller, FOU Zone ‘A’ Compto Mohammed Uba Garba said despite the challenges encountered by the unit in 2017, it has recorded the highest seizures and revenue so far in the history of FOU Ikeja even as he attributed the feat to leadership of the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) and the entire Management Team of the NCS for their efforts in recognizing hard work and putting square begs in square holes.
“Without the Management motivation and necessary logistic support, we wouldn’t have achieved this feat within this period”. He said.
Comptroller Uba who commended Officers and Men of the FOU Zone ‘A’ for their commitment and diligence in thwarting the antics of deadly smugglers who used different methods to deceive the service, further charged his officers to be professional and diligent in performing their statutory responsibilities in the year 2018; most especially in the area of anti-smuggling operations by making sure all revenue linkages are blocked.
He also enjoined all hands to be on deck in the fight against economic saboteurs adding that smuggling is a global phenomenon, which cannot be curbed entirely but can be brought to its barest minimum.
While appreciating all security and sister agencies (Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police, NDLEA,NAFDAC, SON,) that rendered logistics support and cooperation towards winning the war against smuggling within the southwest zone, Comptroller Uba further warned all would be smugglers and their accomplices to desist from such illegality and invest their money in legitimate business, as the Unit has devised other operational modalities that give them a run for their money and count their losses, if not jailed.
He also reminded the public that “the Federal Government’s policy banning the importation of Vehicles and Rice through the land borders is still in force and the NCS is ever ready and equipped to enforce these polices to the latter”.
The Comptroller thanked members of the forth estate of the realm for their support/reportage in 2017, called for their continuous partnership with NCS in the advocacy and campaign against the evil of smuggling to the nation’s economy and provides necessary intelligence that could also assist the NCS in doing their job better in 2018 and beyond.
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