The Federal Operations Unit, Zone A (FOU A) of the Nigeria Customs Service has said that it seized 93,102 bags of 50kg rice, which is equivalent to 156 trailer loads of the product.
The unit also said that it seized 656,414 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 108 automobiles comprising trucks, tankers, cars, and motorcycles, among other contrabands in 2022.
The Customs Area Controller in charge of FOU A, acting Controller, Hussein Ejibunu told journalists in Ikeja on Thursday that the total duty-paid value on contrabands was N14 billion.
He said: “In terms of volume, rice topped the list of our seizures. We seized 93,102 bags of 50kg which amounts to about 156 trailer loads of rice. Even our newly constructed warehouse had an overflow of seized rice.
“It is pertinent to remind us that these hard drugs fuel crime and insecurity. For petroleum products, this unit seized 656,414 litres of PMS which is about 20 tanker loads of fuel from economic saboteurs who seek to impoverish the majority of our country’s people by taking out petrol subsidized for citizens’ benefit to be sold in other countries.”
He added: “While on our enforcement function, we recovered shortfalls in duty payments and achieved a total collection of N878m as revenue for the government in 2022. This collected revenue would have been lost but for the intervention of FOU ‘A’, checking to be sure correct duties were paid into government coffers.
“Within the period under review, this unit provided support for the facilitation of legitimate trade, ensuring ease of passage for compliant traders and double-checking suspected non-compliant traders. We also provided escort services for cargoes under bond to their respective destinations across the country”.
The FOU A boss said that, for the unit, 2022 was a period of sustained anti-smuggling onslaught, zero compromises for duty evasion, and diligent facilitation of trade.
