[dropcap]C[/dropcap]ompt. Mohammed Garba, led Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone ‘A’ proactive team has vowed not to relent in the national assignment of ridding the country of contraband items, describing smugglers as economic saboteurs who are bent on circumventing the law. The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), zone ‘A’, Ikeja has seized Dangote Cement Truck, nine others with not less than 6,206 bags of smuggled rice.
Briefing Journalists on Wednesday in Lagos, the Customs Area Controller of the unit, Mohammed Uba Garba explained that the trucks were impounded between 4th—31st October, 2017. Other items seized are 59 Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV), Sixty-seven (67) bales of second hand clothing, six hundred (600) cartons of foreign poultry products, thirteen (13) parcels of Indian hemp, four hundred and five (405) pieces of used tyres and fifty-four (54) kegs of foreign vegetable oil.
Mohammed Uba Garba said:“Similarly, two containers were also seized for contravening customs law. While one of the containers carried used fridges, 270 cartons of refined sunflower oil, 55 pieces of used gas compressors, 18 packs of juice and other assorted items as against cooking gas declared in the SGD, the other container was carrying 147 bales of printed wax and 168 of lace material as against new electronics declared in the SGD.
“These containers are seized for carrying contraband and entered under false declaration in order to beat the system contrary to the Customs and Excise Law Section 147. Also, a 1×40 container suspected to be carrying prohibited goods is under prohibition.
“It is instinctive to note that a total of six (6) suspects have been arrested relating to these 120 seizures. The Indian hemp will be handed over to NDLEA for further action”.
The Controller stated that the unit through interventions recovered one hundred and forty-four million, four hundred and thirty-three thousand, five hundred and twenty-four naira (144,433,524) from duty payments and demand notices on general goods that tried to circumvent the law at seaports, airports and border stations through wrong declaration, transfer of value, underpayment of duty accrued to the federal government of Nigeria within the weeks under review.
Recently, Dangote Group embarked on a massive campaign, soliciting the assistance of the public to help curb the trend. Giving details of how one of the trucks was impounded, Customs Area Controller of the unit, Mohammed Uba Garba explained that the driver initially did not want to stop for inspection. Garba said: “The driver did not want to stop. He told customs personnel that he was carrying cement. But, upon examination, we discovered that bags of rice were embeded in between bags of cement”.
In a public statement recently, the Management of Dangote Industries Limited (Dangote Group) appealed to members of the public to assist in monitoring and reporting both recklessness and illegal haulage of contrabands goods by some of its truck drivers. The company also set up hotlines for the public to report such truck drivers, with a promise to appropriately compensate calls that lead to arrest of errant drivers.
The company explained that trucks belonging to Dangote Cement are only allowed to carry cement, high grade gypsum and coal; those belonging to Dangote Sugar (NASCON) are authorised to carry only salt and Dan Q seasoning; and trucks belonging to Agrosacks, the bags producing arm of Dangote group, can only carry bags, belonging to Dangote flour mills, wheat, flour and Danvita. The FOU, Zone “A” Controller praised his men for a major seizure that had been made by the team in the recent time and promised that his proactive team will never compromise in the national assignment of ridding the country of contraband items.