A truckload of Indian Hemp worth N 400m has been impounded by the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS around the Lekki area of Lagos brought in by boat from Ghana.
Nigeriacrime.com learned that the smuggled item from Ghana was loaded into six trucks, five of which got away before the Nigeria Customs Service operatives arrived at the area where the trucks were driving through.
Nigeria Customs Service also said that a total of 6,800 bags of foreign parboiled rice were impounded at various locations in the South West region of the country.
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Disclosing this in Lagos, the Nigeria Customs Service Area Controller, CAC of the Unit, Hussein Ejibunu, said that one suspect is in the custody of the Service why the investigation is ongoing.
According to him, “detentions and seizures recorded within the period under review amounted to 79 seizures, with a total Duty Paid Value, DPV of N1 billion are products of surveillance, intelligence gathering and regular patrols.
“These were intercepted at different times and locations within border corridors of the South-Western Zone. “Notable among the seizures are: 6,861 X 50 kg bags of foreign parboiled rice (equivalent to 12 trailer loads);
1,236 jerry cans; 25 litres (30,900 litres) of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, 9,857 parcels (5,338 kg) of cannabis sativa and 2 X 20 containers of unprocessed wood.
“Others are four units of used vehicles (Tokunbo),
40 X 5 jerry cans of vegetable oil and 54 bales of second-hand clothing.
“Four suspects were arrested in connection with some of the intercepted goods,” he noted.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is an independent customs service under the supervisory oversight of the Nigerian Ministry of Finance, responsible for the collection of customs revenue, Facilitation of both national and international trade and anti-smuggling activities.
The NCS is headed by the comptroller general, who oversees the work of six deputy comptrollers general in the following departments:
Finance and Technical Service;
Tariff & Trade;
Enforcement, Investigation, and Inspection;
Modernization, Research and Economic Relations;
Excise, Industrial Incentives and Free Trade Zone;
Human Resource Development.
The NCS board is chaired by the minister of finance, while the vice-chairman is Col. Hameed Ali, the service’s comptroller general who is not a career Customs staff, but was appointed by President with the aim of reforming and revamping the institution.
In addition, the NCS operates a media division with radio and television operations, the Nigeria Customs Broadcasting Network.