Customs seizes N94m vehicles in 2 weeks

The Federal Operation Unit, Zone ‘B’ of the Nigerian Custom Service in its anti smuggling drive has seized vehicles, rice and vegetable oil with duty paid valued at N94 million in Kaduna within the last two weeks.
The seized items include two Hilux Toyota vehicle with duty paid value of N35 million, 860 bags of smuggled foreign per boiled rice with duty value of N19 million, 20kg of vegetable oil with duty paid value of N378.000, six J5 and two buses used as means of conveying the smuggled items with duty paid value of N4.860 million and one Dangote truck with duty paid value of N33.750 Million.
The new Zonal Comptroller, Muhammed Mustapha, while showcasing the seized items before newsmen at the Zone’s office along Kaduna-Zaria highway yesterday, said the unit has intensified efforts against what he called economic saboteurs which has led to the seizures within two weeks of his resumption at the unit.
According to him, the seizures were made along Kano-ZariaPambegua and Funtua-Zaria-Kaduna axis of the roads, while attributing the success to the operational tactics, intense surveillance and engagement of proactive officers and men in the anti-smuggling drive.
“In our quest to combat smuggling and reduce it to the barest minimum, the unit has intensified its antismuggling drive against economic saboteurs in a bid to stop goods from finding their way into the country in order to safeguard the country’s economy.
“In line with this mission, the anti-smuggling strategies adopted have resulted in various seizures of foreign per boiled rice and some exotic vehicles illegally smuggled into the country within the period under review,” he added.
The Comptroller however called on smugglers to shun the act in whatever guise, just as he reiterated the commitment of NCS in the fight against smuggling and importing items prohibited by the federal government