As part of efforts to ensure better security, the Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos, has disclosed that over 11,000 new machetes have been seized from importers trying to smuggle the items into the country through the Southwest region.
Aside from that, the agency also impounded 6,168 pieces of donkey dry skin weighing 29,606 kilogram from exporters around the Apapa axis of Lagos State by the Export monitoring team of the agency.
Also, the Command intercepted 37,630 sachets of Tramadol of 250mg, 4,740 bags of foreign parboiled rice and 978kg of Cannabis sativa from importers at various locations under its watch.
It added that 1,145 cartons of poultry products, 15 units of imported vehicles and 257 bales of used clothes as well as 11,700 litres of Premium Motor Spirit impounded from importers and exporters during the period under review.
Meanwhile, the Command arrested no fewer than 14 suspects linked with the items recovered from the smugglers by its personnel.
The Controller, FOU, Kola Oladeji, who disclosed this while addressing journalists at the command in Ikeja on Friday, disclosed that the total value of the item seized during the period under review were over N8 billion.
Oladeji explained that the machetes’ would not have been seized if the person had presented the End Users Certificate obtained from the National Security Adviser (NSA).
According to him, four of the 14 male suspects arrested were apprehended after being found engaging in drug trafficking by the personnel.
He noted that the drug importers, as part of efforts to evade arrest and seizure, they often distribute the items inside different vehicles in smaller quantities, saying intelligence efforts of my personnel uncovered this”.
“We are not unaware of smugglers’ antics to evade duty payments and sometimes attempt to circumvent the law by bringing items that fall under import and export prohibition”.
“In the Month of July 2024, over N133 million (N133,696,223.98K) was generated through documentary checks and issuance of Demand Notices on consignments that were found to have been short-paid. The entire amount had been paid into the Federation account accordingly.
“Comparing the month of July, 2023 with July, 2024 , the revenue generated increased by N96,087,133.79K at 245 percent increase. our interceptions rose from 50 seizures in July, 2023 to 70 seizures in July, 2024 with a DPV difference of over N7 billion at 1,750 percent increase.
“While the Federal Government is committed to ensuring the availability of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as Petrol to Nigerians, some Smugglers are bent on taking the products to other Countries for their selfish gains. For the avoidance of doubt, this category of smugglers have us to contend with.
“We have disposed off the 11,700 litres of PMS through open Auctions due to the volatility of the product after approval from our Headquarters. The proceeds realised from the Auctions had been paid into the Federation Account accordingly.
“Based on the credible intelligence, we able to intercept35,630 sachets of Tramadol along Lagos/Ibadan Expressway. Also, the Cannabis sativa (IndianHemp) was intercepted along the
same Expressway.
“For the seizure of Tramadol and Cannabis sativa, we are going to hand them over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further action in line with extant regulations and in the spirit of inter-agency collaboration”.
