Customs Strike Force collects N748,679,337 from cleared port cargoes

The CGC Strike Force, Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) recently said its men collected the sum of N748,679,337 thorough documentary checks and issuance of demand notices on consignments that were found to have been short-paid at the ports in Lagos.

Addressing journalists in Lagos, Controller of the CGC Strike Force Team A, Mohammed Sanni Yusuf explained that in continuation to suppress smuggling and to prevent revenue loss within the South-West Region, officers and men of the Strike Force Team ‘A’ have remained resolute in enforcing Customs extant laws.

According to Controller Mohammed Sanni Yusuf, “In the course of enforcing these laws, recalcitrant importers and traders were either made to pay the maximum duty payable, through the issuance of demand notices or made to forfeit their goods to the Federal Government by way of seizing them.

“You may recall that foreign tomato paste, used clothing, importation of vehicles through the land borders, used tyres, arms and ammunition without end-user certificates among others, are all import prohibition which threatens our collective economy.

“The following are the seizures recorded within the period under review: 1500by50kg bags of Foreign Parboiled Rice; 839 bales of Used Clothes; 3,525 litres of Premium Motor Spirit; 900 bags of Cement used to conceal rice; 1,670 Mumrite Tomato Paste; 500 Mumrite Sardine; Smuggled Vehicles One pump action, one locally fabricated pistol and 14 live cartridges.

“For the Pump Action and locally fabricated pistol and Live Cartridges, they were discovered when my men chased a vehicle from the Airport Road near NAHCO to Alaba International in Ojo area. When the drivers of the vehicle got to a dead end where trailers and other articulated vehicles were blocking the road, they opened the doors of the vehicle, jumped down and ran away. Thorough search of the vehicle revealed one Pump Action and a locally fabricated pistol with 14 rounds of Live Cartridges.

“The entire seizures recorded within the period have a cumulative duty paid value (DPV) of N390,198,000.

“Illicit goods imported into the country with their attending effects mostly end up either in our homes or in the neighborhood; causing a wide range of issues ranging from social to a psychological crises.

“Our efforts at ensuring that the local industries are Protected from unhealthy foreign competition and other forms of social security require a strong partnership between our operatives and members of the public in areas of information sharing and moral support.

“In the aspect of revenue, the sum of N748,679,337 was made thorough documentary checks and issuance of demand notices on consignments that were found to have been short-paid.”