Ogun State Command of Nigeria Customs Service has made more seizures of exotic vehicles, rice and smuggled poultry products worth over N48m within one week.
Showing the seizures to newsmen in Idiroko Border, Customs Area Controller in charge of the command, Sani Madugu, reiterated his resolve to keep the anti smuggling tempo high.
”We have a total of seven Tokunbo (used) vehicles that we have seized like jeep, key-less and the ones with keys. Total number is seven(7). We have other vehicles that are five(5) in number that carried various items of prohibited goods. We have seized all these items and they forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
” On Wednesday, a trailer load of turkey was seized at the Abeokuta axis. Here we have the vegetable oil and about three hundred bags of rice were seized, forty-two(42) kegs of vegetable oil are also there, twenty (20) bags of diluted sugar was also seized. They are over N48m.
”The war against smuggling is a total one in Ogun state. The officers and men are committed to their duties, Including the Area Controller. The Deputy Controller Enforcement go out to patrol together with team of officers, I go round to see what they are doing. We are redoubling our efforts in the continuous exercise in the Ogun Area Command, we will continue to do this. It is giving us results and we are happy with the results we are seeing, that is why we gathered you here to show you what we have done in Abeokuta yesterday and in Idiiroko today”
He added that the command will continue seizing goods smuggled into the country in an attempt to evade duty payment and arrest suspects found to have been involved in the unlawful acts .
Madugu also said his men have intensified round the clock anti smuggling operations with officers assigned to run shifts for 24 hours daily while adding that full customs presence will be sustained even during the yuletide period.
He said his officers have been fully sensitised to key into the goal of the service to always keep the battle against smuggling up
The motivating factor is that we have spoken to ourselves and we have decided to work hard that is what you are seeing. What you see is the officer and the men are working hard to meet our desired goal. Seizures of prohibited items, seizures of goods that are prohibited.
When you refuse to pay your duty we will seized those items. We have talked to ourselves, we are ready to work and we are working round the clock. In Ogun area command patrol 24/7,check point 24/7 we have no resting time. We are on the road and we are everywhere.”
”Look at this jeep(pointing at a seized car) somebody brought it with a high amount of money and refuse to come to the port to clear it. God on our side we have intercepted it.You can see this Mercedes 300, 2015model also”
Few days back the command made a seizure of a big truck load of prohibited frozen poultry products worth over N4.1b. The truck was marked as belonging to Dangote Group of Companies.