… Rejects $150,000 bribe offer
Harboursandport.com: Lagos - The Seme Border Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has announced the seizure of fake $ 6 million, six international passports, and ten international driving licenses.
Disclosing this in Seme on Thursday, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Dera Nnadi said that a bribe of $150,000 offered by owners of the counterfeit foreign currency to be allowed to go with the money was rejected.
Showcasing the seized items to
reporters at Seme, Nnadi said the foreign currency, passports, and
driver's licenses have all the traits of international syndicate in
cross-border criminality.
He said other items seized by the
command are 55 donkey skins, petroleum products, and fake flour
products.
He explained that while two male suspects were arrested
in connection with the fake dollars and international passports,
respectively, he informed that all the arrested suspects are
currently in Customs custody, and undergoing interrogation.
Speaking
about the seizures he said, “In the last 13 days, the Command
recorded milestones in its anti-smuggling operations. Some of the
anti-smuggling landmarks by the Command include the seizure of fake
$6m (the equivalent of N2.763 billion at an exchange rate of N460.52) and
the arrest of two suspects conveying the fake currency from Nigeria
to the Republic of Benin.
“Two male suspects were arrested in
connection with the crime and are in currently in our custody pending
prosecution. The arrest was made at the Gbaji checkpoint along the Seme
corridor on the 31 of January 2023.
“Also on the 31 of January 2023 at about 0530 hours, an Officer on patrol along Gbetrome base
intercepted Six (6) Maltese International Passports with the same
picture of a lady but bearing different names. Two (2) Senegalese
International Passports, Three (3) Togolese International Passports.
Four (4) Republic of Benin International Passports. One (1) Republic
of Niger International.”
According to the customs controller,
the
“Passport and Ten (10) International Driving License of
these various countries from two male suspects who are also in our
custody pending further investigation.”
He continues: “Also arrested
and seized 1300 by 30 liters jerry can of PMS equivalent 39.000
liters roughly over one fuel tanker of PMS with duty paid value of
N9, 366.45 only. The products were seized from along the
creeks.
“Other items seized include 55 sacks containing 550
pieces of donkey skin with DPV OF N 11.371.511”, adding:
“The
significance of the seizure is that it shows how much our endanger
species are being eroded by unpatriotic elements.”
He said the
seizures were not without challenges.
“The achievements
(progress) so far, were not made on a platter of gold. It took the
painstaking efforts of the officers who spend hours on patrol and
surveillance to record the seizures. We wish to reiterate that we
will not relent on this effort.”
Speaking on an attempt by
traffickers of foreign currency to compromise his officers, he
said:
“It should be noted that they attempted to bribe my
officers to allow them go with the trafficked cash, but my men
refused.
“They said they want to call their boss in Lagos who
will deliver the $150m that is genuine but we said no,” he noted.
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