Acting Controller of the Federal Operations Unit (F.O.U.), Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Usman Turaki, has said the command made 336 seizures of various goods and items valued at N117 million within the first 30 days of his assumption of office as head of the anti-smuggling command.
According to him, the Customs anti- smuggling commands recorded N4.3 million contraband on daily average and the feat, which covered the period between July 13, when he assumed office and August 9, was thus exclusive of another breakthrough recorded when his officers and men, based on intelligence-enhanced tip-off, intercepted seven trucks of Jumbo bales of suspected textile materials from a warehouse around Oshodi.
Shedding more lights on the 30-day seizure, he said the goods had a payable duty of N42.94 million with a duty paid value of N150.45 million. Turaki urged smugglers to take to honest jobs or “relocate to other parts of the country where they might find things easier”.
“We apprehended, in the same period, a total of 19 suspects in connection with these seizures. Comparatively speaking, this report shows over 65 per cent positive difference when compared with the report of the corresponding period in 2013,” Turaki said, adding that he had now identified some flashpoints and mounted aggressive patrol activities to ensure that all flanks were blocked.
Turaki, who said the unit was complementing the efforts of the other Customs commands in ensuring that there was total compliance with the fiscal policies of the Federal Government in terms of trade, however, assured genuine and compliant importers and their representatives of every support of the NCS, stressing that the unit was committed to facilitating legitimate trade in line with local and international practices.
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