Customs intercepts 107 contrabands worth N139m in Kwara
By Mosunmola Ayobami, Kwara
Sector 3 of Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted contrabands goods worth N139.7 million.
Coordinator, JBPT, North Central Zone, Sector 3 Kwara State, Comptroller Olugboyega Peters made this known at a press briefing in Ilorin on Wednesday.
The seized items are Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), foreign parboiled rice, motorcycles, cartoon of foreign tomatoes and second hand clothes and others with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N139,707,500, Peters said.
The Comptroller also disclosed that three illegal immigrants (between 16-18 years of age) were arrested around Babanna axis of the Sector coming from Benin, Edo State en route Burkina-Faso.
He noted that in line with the extant laws, most of the inflammable products have been auctioned to the public and the amount generated as fees remitted to government coffers.
He said: “One of the highlight of today’s briefing is the seizure of a luxury bus popularly called Macopolo belonging to All Express International along Abuja-Lokoja high way conveying a total of 44 bales of acidic secondhand clothing and 16 sacks of fairly used infectious shoes with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N3.6million.
“As part of our intelligence network, our operatives tracked and arrested a trailer with Reg. No SRP 501 XA loaded with 550 foreign parboiled rice of 50kg each, along Mokwa-Jebba Road with a duty paid Value (DPV) of N14million.
“Prominent to note also was the interception of a 2019 Lexus Jeep that cost N21million around Benue axis of the sector. It beats my imagination to think that a man who can afford this type of luxury car can invade customs duty of N7.3 million.
“The reinvigorated operatives of the sector at different times and location intercepted and seized 3,068 kegs of 25 litres each of PMS totaling 76,700 liters in an attempt to smuggle them out of the country.
“It is difficult to imagine that despite the current fuel scarcity in the country, some unpatriotic Nigerians still attempted to smuggle this product through our border.”
The Customs boss reiterated that sector 3 under his watch would maintain zero tolerance for smuggling, bearing in mind its negative implication on the economic growth and development of the country.
