Harboursandport.com: Lagos - The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Strike Force Unit said it raised debit notes worth N1billion from importers, Shippers and clearing in the last three months.
The service also said smugglers now make use of Cattle, camels, vehicle fuel compartments, used tyres and booths to smuggle rice and other dangerous
goods into the country.
Speaking yesterday, the Officer In charge of the unit, DC Ahmadu Bello
Shuaibu said the amount generated would have been lost to smugglers, fraudulent
importers and clearing agents who under-declared their cargoes at the seaports.
He stated further that the unit in the last three months intercepted
foreign parboiled rice, printed label materials, used vehicles, textile materials, used tyres and second out clothing.
He however charged importers who involved in false declaration of
cargoes and under-declaration to turn a new leave and uphold true declaration.
He said, "The Comptroller General, strike force zone A of the
Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, collected N1.03billion from Debit Notes, D/Ns on major and
minor infractions on cargoes that exited the seaport the Tin-Can Island and
Apapa ports.
"The essence of the strike force ICT and rising of alerts on
consignments is to raise debit notes. Also, importers and agents that we got
these huge Debit Notes from but we would not be appreciated for what we have done rather
they will castigate us."
DC Shuaibu also raised the alarm of new methods used by smugglers to
smuggle contrabands especially rice into the country.
He said, smugglers now endanger the lives of Nigerians by smuggling cargoes
through the use of car booths, fuel compartment, tyres, vehicle engines e.t.
c." He continued, “these types of rice when seized are regarded as
hazardous items."
Corroborating Shuaibu, the National Public Relations Officer of the
service, Joseph Attah said the N1billion collected from alert in the first quarter have justified the creation of the Strike force Unit.
He also said the new method used by smugglers have shown that big
vehicles can no longer be used to smuggle rice and other contrabands into
the country.
"We have suppressed smuggling to the extent that they no longer make
use of big trucks, vehicles, motorcycles to smuggle anymore. They now make use
of camels, cattle, donkeys to move them in trickles.
For instance, the three wonder cars were reconstructed and redesigned
for the purpose of smuggling. They are reconstructed to get as much rice as possible;
the smugglers can no longer use trucks and motorcycles because they are
becoming difficult due to the anti-smuggling drives of our officers"
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