The Federal Operations Unit, Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service ( NCS) has impounded 15 illegally imported exotic vehicles, seven trailer loads of foreign parboiled rice and other contraband goods valued at N1.5billion.
Controller of the unit, Comptroller Muhammed Shuaibu who announced the seizures on Friday during his maiden press briefing said the items were seized in the Lagos metropolis within three weeks.
Comptroller Shuaibu who assumed leadership of the unit on April 23rd said the unit also recovered N20.7million through the issuance of demand notices from irregular importation and auction sales of seized petroleum products.
Displaying the seized items, Comptroller Shuaibu said notable among the seizures include: 4,085 bags of foreign parboiled rice, each weighing 50kg—equivalent to seven (7) trailer loads, 82 packs of Tramadol, with 10 sachets per pack,
246 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa.
290 jerry cans of premium motor spirit (PMS), 12 Bales and 4 sacks of used clothing.
“Upon my arrival, I committed to leveraging my extensive experience to effectively navigate the complexities of this unit, and I am proud to report that we have remained true to that commitment.
“In a significant achievement in our ongoing battle against illicit trade, our team acted on credible intelligence and successfully intercepted and seized 7X20ft containers filled with various illicit items within the Lagos metropolis.
Preliminary investigations revealed used tyres, foreign parboiled rice, new shoes, new clothes and new bags.
“Within this short period of three weeks, this unit has inflicted substantial losses on these non-state actors through the interception of numerous illegal goods, ” he said.
He said four suspects were arrested in connection with the various seizures.
Comptroller Shuaibu said since his assumption of office, he has initiated a shift in the unit’s operational strategies,
moving away from traditional stop-and-search methods to more intelligence-driven operations that reduce unnecessary delays.
“The unit’s intelligence driven operations are designed to create a more efficient, transparent, and inclusive trading environment that will benefit our stakeholders and the public through barrier-free operations, as we intend to collapse all patrol points within Lagos metropolis, ” he said.
As part of inter agency collaboration, the Customs Controller handed over the seized 246kg of cannabis sativa to the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA ) and the tramadol capsules to the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control ( NAFDAC ) for further investigation and prosecution.
He reiterated the NCS’ s commitment to combating smuggling, counterfeit products, and other forms of illicit trade.
He assured of continued collaboration with sister security agencies and border communities to dismantle criminal networks .
The Customs boss urged the general public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities related to smuggling or illicit trade while also appealing to declarants to maintain honesty in their declarations to avoid unnecessary bottleneck.
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