PHOTO: Customs Intercept 2,540 Bags Of Rice, 12 Used Vehicles, 500 Tyres, Others Despite Border Closure
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
No fewer than 2540 bags of foreign parboiled rice illegally smuggled into the country since the closure of Nigeria borders have been intercepted by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Oyo/Osun Command as disclosed on Wednesday.WITHIN NIGERIA had earlier reported that the federal government of Nigeria issued a directive that Nigeria land borders should be closed in August in a bid to strengthened the country’s economy.
The Customs Area Controller identified as Mr. Abdullahi Zulkifli Argungu revealed while speaking with journalists at the command’s headquarters in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital that the command, since the closure of the borders, had intercepted 12 Tokunbo vehicles, 12 means of conveyance, 15 bags of Sugar, 3 motorcycles, 40 bales of second hand clothes and shoe and 500 used tyres apart from the 2,540 bags of seized rice.
According to Abdullahi Zulkifli, other seized items according to him included, one thousand and forty SK blocks with one hundred and one bags of Cannabis Sativa with duty paid value put at one hundred and fifty-nine million and seventy thousand (159,070,000.00) arrested on 29th September 2019.
Argungu maintained that the total duty paid value of the seized items is put at one hundred and forty-two million, eight hundred and ninety-six thousand, one hundred and thirteen naira (N142,896,113.00k).
Argungu further added that the command generated the sum of thirty-four billion, six hundred and eighty-six million, eight hundred and seventy-five thousand, nine hundred and sixty-seven naira and eighty kobo (34,686,875,967.80) between January and December this year.
He said, “No doubt that, despite the partial border closure, some recalcitrant ones still finds other means of perpetuating smuggling especially as the Yuletide approaches. Our officers are and will always be on the watch for them at all times.
During the same period, the command made a total of three hundred and thirteen (313) seizures with a duty paid value of five hundred and eighteen million, five hundred and ninety thousand, four hundred and thirteen naira (518,590,413.00).
“Twenty four (24) suspects were arrested in connection to these seizures, twenty one are on administrative bail, one charged to court and two convicted.”
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