Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized a truck belonging to the Dangote Cement Company in Ogun state with about 3,000 cartons of contraband frozen poultry valued at over N47 million.
Comptroller of NCS in the state, Sani Magudu, made this known yesterday at a press conference, adding that the driver escaped and was still on the run.
The truck, with the inscription Ibese 13 and registration number ICT-13E-047, was parked yesterday within the command premises in Abeokuta fully loaded with the products.
Madugu said investigation showed that the frozen poultry was being transported into Nigeria from Benin Republic.
“A trailer belonging to Dangote Group loaded with 3,000 cartons of frozen turkey was intercepted on Saturday, September 16, 2017, at about 3.45 a.m. along Sagamu-Abeokuta interchange,” he said.
He said the smugglers were not aware that they were being monitored from the point of packaging of the products until the vehicle was impounded at about 3.45 a.m. on Saturday at Sagamu interchange, which links the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
“We are one step ahead of them. The smugglers now connive with Dangote truck drivers. We started monitoring them from their loading spot to Sagamu interchange where the vehicle was intercepted,” he said.
He said the motorboy of the truck was arrested but the driver ran away, adding that the products in over 3,000 cartons were valued at N47, 250,000 and had duty value of N20, 250,000.
The comptroller vowed that the fleeing driver would be arrested and prosecuted with the other suspects.
Meanwhile, the agency has commenced burial of the contraband products. (Premium Times)
