Armstrong Bakam, Bauchi

The Nigeria Customs Service says it has impounded five vehicles with contraband valued at N50.2m.

The Comptroller, Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘D’, comprising Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau, Benue and Nassarawa states, Peters Olugboyega, said this on Monday at a media briefing at the zonal headquarters in Bauchi.

He said the seizures were based on credible intelligence gathered by officers of the service on patrols between August 31 and September 3, 2018.

He said, “On September 2, 2018, one DAF truck, with number plate, XG 433 RSH, was impounded on Potiskum-Gombe Road around 7.15am with 1,963 cartons of foreign spaghetti and 780 jerrycans of vegetable oil.”

Olugboyega added that the smuggled items were in contravention of the Import Prohibition Order and contrary to the provision of Section 4 of the Customs and Excise Management Act.

He said the total Duty Paid Value (DPV) on the vehicle and goods was N32,282,000.

The customs boss said one Mercedes Benz 911 truck marked, XG 433 RSH, was impounded on September 1, 2018, at about 7.49pm along Bauchi-Jos Road with 300 bags of foreign rice concealed in BUA sacks.

He said, “The goods were items which ought not to have been imported into the country since the Federal Government has placed a ban on them.”

He said the DPV on vehicle and goods was N9,720,000.

Olugboyega further said three J5 buses with number plates, NSR 374 TRN; TRN 162 AU; and JJN 108 XP, carrying 90 packs of second hand clothes in each bus were seized along Bauchi-Kano Road around 4.30am on September 3, 2018.

He said the DPV on the vehicles and goods was N8,235,000.

The comptroller said, “There there is no reason why second-hand clothes should be brought into the country; they have health implications.”

“Smugglers are hereby warned to desist from the acts or they will be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law. The drivers of the impounded vehicles have been arrested.

“We have 30 different strategies; this is just one of them. We will always go ahead of smugglers.

“No matter their antics, we will crush them. If they are unrepentant, we are out for them. Any smuggler arrested will be prosecuted.”

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