From Suleiman Amagbor, Lagos
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos has disclosed it confisticated a whooping N35.91 billion worth of contraband items numbering 3,189 in 31 months.
The outgoing Comptroller of the unit, Hussein Ejibunu who spoke to journalists at a valedictory ceremony in Lagos, said 22 persons were convicted for committing different Customs offenses between September 10, 2021 when he took over the reign of leadership of the unit till his exit.
He commended traditional rulers in his domain for their support in helping the command to root out criminals, and urged officers to accord his successor full support.
He said: “You worked both day and night to ensure that the successes we recorded were achieved. Unfortunately, while on legitimate duties within Zone’s area of operations, eight (8) officers sustained different degrees of injuries while five (5) lost their lives in the line of duty.”
“From the 10th September 2010 till date, a total of 3,189 seizures were recorded with a duty paid value of Thirty-five Billion, Nine Hundred and Eight Million, Three Hundred and Thirty-One Thousand, Four Hundred and Twelve Naira Only ( ₦35,908,331,412.00) and a sum of three hundred and eighty-six (386) suspects arrested in connection with some of the seizures. While twenty-two (22) people were convicted for committing different Customs offences.”
“They are 222,285 X 50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice (370 Trailer loads) 1,140,864 Liters of premium motor spirit (33Tankers) 16,432.30kg of Indian Hemp 26,303 pieces of used pneumatic tyres 11,175 Bales of used clothes 751x 70mm of live cartridges
12,912 cartons of foreign frozen poultry products 5,033 pieces of donkey skin 450 x 106 kg drums of carbide 233 cartons x 225mg of tramadol 7,640 cartons of expired and unapproved drugs
303 Units of foreign used vehicles 104 Haojue motorcycles.
The Unit recovered the sum of Two Billion, Two Hundred and Fifty-Six Million, Five Hundred and Fourty-Nine Thousand, Two Hundred and Thirty-Two Naira, Fourty-Eight Kobo N2,256,549,232.48 through the issuance of demand notices (D/N) due to transfer of value and wrong classification.
The new Comptroller of the command, Kola Oladeji, applauded the commitment of the outgoing comptroller, promising to try his best to keep the flag flying.
Speaking further, Oladeji said, “I served as a Customs Intelligence Officer in many Commands such as Tincan Island, Apapa, at the headquarters in Abuja, Zamfara among other places.
“I am appealing to officers and men of this command not to mind my face as much as my mind because it is my intelligence and investigational background that have made me strict.
“I will work under the core mandate of the service which is to combat smuggling, generate revenue and facilitate legitimate trade, which will be fairly implemented. “We have nothing to hide but in terms of intelligent contribution, we need everyone’s support,” Oladeji said.
