Customs seizes N1.12bn worth of smuggled goods in South West, arrests five suspects

The Joint Border Patrol Team, Sector 2, South West Zone of the Nigeria Customs Service said it intercepted 1,410 jerrycans of Premium Motor spirit ( PMS) 30litres each and other smuggled prohibited goods worth N1.12billion.

Coordinator of the team, Deputy Comptroller Muhammed Shuaibu disclosed this at a press briefing in Lagos on Friday.

He said the seized items, which have been deposited at Seme, Ogun I, Ogun II, Oyo/Osun and Ondo Ekiti Area Commands Government Warehouses included 4,051 bags of 50kg each foreign parboiled rice, 3,751 jerrycans of Premium Motor spirit, 425 cartons of frozen poultry products, 912 pieces of used tyres and 30 sacks, 85 blocks and 125 wraps of cannabis sativa, alongside 30 vehicles used for conveyance.

Others are seven tokunbo cars, 1 truck and 4 motorcycles.

He said the wares were intercepted across the borders of the six states of the South-West Geo-political zone with five suspects arrested in connection with some of the seizures.

“In our effort to actualize the mandate of combating smuggling and trans-border crimes, we intercepted some goods for violating various sections of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 and the Federal Government’s Import and Export Guidelines worth a total duty paid value (DPV) of One Billion, One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Million, Six Hundred and Eighty-Four Thousand, Nine Hundred Naira (₦1,128,684,900).

“Smuggling and other criminal trans-border activities have multiple effects such as; undermining national security through the movements of illicit goods, such as drugs, weapons, and human trafficking, across the international borders, and impacts negatively on the economy by depleting the nation’s revenue base through duties and tax evasion.

“Today we are showcasing a total of One Thousand Four Hundred and Ten (1,410) Jerry cans of PMS (30litres) each that were seized from different locations within our Area of Responsibility.

“These PMS were seized within one week following intensive patrol activities by the officers and men of the sector. This is only a fraction of the PMS seized by the Sector as many were deposited and auctioned in other Government Warehouses within the Zone, ” he said.

The Coordinator said the team also recovered a total of 11.5million revenue through the issuance of Debit Notes (DN) on vehicles and other goods improperly imported into the country.

He disclosed that the team also intercepted 30 illegal immigrants.

“Nigeria Immigration Service as a critical component of the Joint Border Patrol Team, we intercepted 30 illegal immigrants suspected to have violated immigration laws and were immediately handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service for further investigation and prosecution, ” he said.