Customs intercept vehicle with COVID-19 sticker smuggling frozen chicken in Ogun
Smugglers have devised new means of transporting contraband goods into the country, as a vehicle with COVID-19 stickers was intercepted by men of the Nigeria Customs Service for smuggling frozen chicken into the country.
The federal operations unit also intercepted various contraband items worth N12.7billion from January to April in the six states of the south-west.
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According to a press statement by the Customs Area Controller of the unit, Usman Yahaya, officers intercepted the vehicle under the guise of essential duty, smuggling cartons of frozen chicken into the country from Benin Republic.
The statement signed by the unit’s Public Relations Officer, Jerry Attah, said the vehicle was arrested along Ijebu – Ode Expressway, based on intelligence at the disposal of officers who were on routine patrol at the axis.
“The officers were professional enough to intercept the vehicle which was believed to be used in the movement of essential commodities but was surprise to see that it was used for illegal activities such as movement of contraband.
“We have arrested the vehicle and investigation has commenced to get to the root and unravel other atrocities that may have been committed using the ensential duty tag,” the statement stated.
However, speaking on the activities of the command in the last four months, the Yahaya said the unit also paid a whopping N1.14 billion into the Treasury Single Account of the federal government.
Giving a breakdown in the seizures, Yahaya said 25 units of fairly used vehicles worth N108million, 5,644 cartons of frozen chicken worth N54.1million were intercepted, 9,843 bags of 50kg smuggled parboiled rice worth N130.4 million and sacks of textile materials worth N94million were seized in the months under review.
Others are N14 million worth of used tyres, 3,764 kegs of smuggled vegetables oil worth N69.2 million, 8,365 litres of smuggled petrol and diesel worth N35million.
The customs boss said that “we won’t relent on our anti-smuggling fight especially at this time the government is preaching diversification into the agric sector due to the fall in price of oil in the international market which has affected government revenue base.
“So, we will ensure that smuggling is reduced to the barest minimum and not allow to fester as that could be injurious to our economy and wellbeing as a country.”
