Customs FOU seizes 139 trailers of rice, 132 tokunbo vehicles, others worth N10bn in 2023

The Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’ Ikeja of the Nigeria Customs Service said it seized 139 trailer loads of rice and other prohibited goods valued at N10. 395 billion in 2023.

Controller of the unit, Comptroller Kehinde Hussein Ejibunu, who disclosed this in Lagos on Wednesday while briefing journalists on the activities of the unit in the outgome year said the unit recorded a total of 1,119 seizures worth a total duty paid value of N10,395,123,943.

Giving a breakdown of the seizures, Ejibunu said they include rice, vehicles, marijuana, tramadol, used tyres, poultry products, footwears and petroleum products.

According to him the most prominent of the seizures is foreign parboiled rice, which amounted to 83,170 bags of 50kg.

He said other seizures comprised 13,706 kegs by 25 litres of PMS, 8,372 Kg of Indian Hemp, 2,942 pieces of tyres
2,153 bales of used clothes, 3,095 cartons of frozen poultry, 320 cartons illicit drugs, 15 pieces of bullet proof jackets, 15 pieces of jack knives, and 68 pieces of military camouflage.

Others are 450 drums X 106 kg of carbide 1 X 40 ft and 2 X 20 ft containers found to contain charcoal and 132 units of foreign used vehicles.

“As a unit charged with anti-smuggling function in the South West Zone, overseeing an area with international borders, busiest airport in Nigeria, and the two largest sea ports in the country, FOU Zone A area of responsibility is indeed wide.

“With the morale and logistics support from the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, we were able to prosecute the fight against smuggling diligently by making seizures, effecting arrests and collecting revenue for government in the course of discharging our functions.

“The report of our seizures and arrests being given to you today attests to the relentless and uncompromising enforcement we deployed in the fight against smuggling in 2023. It is indeed a fallout of the positive energy and selflessness we displayed in the course of our work, ” he said.

Ejibunu said a total number of 136 persons were arrested at various points within the unit area of responsibility while 16 people were convicted through the Federal High Courts for committing offences of improper importation, assault of Customs officers, being in possession of foreign parboiled rice and for being in possession of Pangolin scales meant for export.

“They were suspected to be smugglers, and after due diligence of uncompromising profiling and investigation, they were charged to court and are at different stages of prosecution.

“Some other smuggling related cases instituted in the courts are at various stages of prosecution and would be followed up diligently. This year 2024, we shall continue, through our legal seat, to follow all pending court cases to logical conclusions, ” he said.

On revenue, Ejibunu said the unit recovered a total of N851,719,905.01 through issuance of demand notice on identified revenue shortfall.

“We were able to identify shortfalls in duty payments from which demand notices were issued and accurate revenue were recovered. These are revenues that would have been lost by the federal government to the pockets of some uncompliant business men.

“I want to reiterate that our battle to prevent smuggling will be intensified this year as we shall not relent in making seizures, arrests and prosecution of criminals who contravene the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023. If they don’t desist from their criminal ways, this year will be tougher for them because they will lose their investments and freedom when arrested.

“Let me put on record that we shall lawfully arrest and prosecute any individual involved in the attack of our officers who are discharging their legitimate responsibilities. No attacker of our personnel will be spared from facing the full wrath of the law, ” Ejibunu warned.