Over one thousand units of vehicles with duty paid value of about N918million have been seized by the Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Lagos, the anti-smuggling arm of the Nigeria Customs Service.
Controller of the Unit, Comptroller Rasheed Taiwo, who disclosed this to newsmen, recently said that the vehicles, 1,745 in number were confiscated from smugglers between January and December 2007.
Taiwo also disclosed that the total value of seizures made by the unit in 2007 stands at N4.94billion.
Apart from vehicles, he listed other seizures to include textile materials of various types with duty paid value of N2 .14billion and second hand clothing with duty paid value of NI3.3million.
Others are 22,973 bags of 50kg and 20 bags of 25kg of parboiled rice worth about N4 million and 679 cartons of poultry product worth N2.44 million; 395 pieces of used fridge and freezer compressors worth N5.73 million; 468 pieces of used tires worth N1.3 million and other general goods such as echolac boxes, suite cases, furniture, foot wears, shovels, wheelbarrows, plastic plates, school bags, ladies bags as well as various types of soaps and cream valued at over N20 million.
Comptroller Taiwo said that in terms of numbers and value of seizures, the Unit surpassed its 2006 records which were 1,531 seizures with duty paid value of N4.35 billion as against 2,302 seizures with duty paid value of N4.94 billion recorded in 2007.
“What formed most part of the seizures are textile garments and material (50 per cent), vehicles (20 per cent), rice (10 per cent), vegetable oil (five per cent) and other items (15 per cent),” Taiwo said
He warned those involved in the illegal trade to retract their steps, saying, “they will suffer untold losses if they don’t stop their evil business”.
Comptroller General of Customs, Jacob Gyang Buba it would be recalled had at last year’s Comptroller General of Customs Conference disclosed that 3,219 seizures with duty paid value of N5.82 billion were made by Customs nationwide between January and October 2007. He also disclosed that 167 suspects were arrested in connection with smuggling activities.