Customs impound 3000 smuggled rice worth N42m in Ogun

THE Comptroller General of Customs, Strike Force on smuggling of foreign parboiled rice, over the weekend, intercepted five trailers load of rice from Ogun State numbering 3000 bags of 50kg with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N42m.

The parboiled foreign rice was concealed inside containers and trucks belonging to corporate organisations.

This interception is coming barely a week after the minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbe hinted about the planned closure of the land borders due to massive smuggling of rice into the country.

Speaking to newsmen over the weekend, the Zonal commander of the strike force, Zone A, Salisu Assababullah said the interception was made at Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

According to Assababullah, “the strike force was able to make the seizure through intelligence it gathered on the fresh way of smuggling parboiled rice inside the country.

“The CGC task force intercepted 3000 bags of 50kg rice smuggled into the country. They were intercepted along Ijebu Ode expressway with two suspects in custody.

“We were able to get intelligence report that container-laden trucks were taken to the border area, loaded with smuggled rice and sealed as if it were a container released from seaports.”

The CGC Strike Force who attributed the success recorded to the other members of the team also acknowledged the federal government approval of brand new pickup for anti-smuggling which he said aided in the recent interception made.

Assaba Bullah stated that the strike force got nine vehicles from the 68 vehicles approved by executive Council for anti-smuggling and in two weeks, the strike force was able to intercept 3000 smuggled rice.

He however advised smugglers to engage in legitimate business as the ad-hoc body knows their antics and they will be caught.

It would be recalled that the Federal Executive Council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari recently approved the sum of N1,550,187,713.00 for the procurement of 68 brand new Ford Pickup operational vehicles for Customs.

The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, who briefed State House Correspondents alongside the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning and the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, explained that the operational vehicles currently available for the service are grossly inadequate for effective anti-smuggling activities.