North-central: Customs Makes 187 Seizures Between Jan and Dec. 2022 (Photos)

Ajide Felix January 16, 2023 0 Comments

The Joint Border Patrol Team North Central Zone, Sector 3, Nigeria Customs service has recorded 187 (One Hundred and Eighty Seven) seizures with a duty value of Three Hundred and two Million five Hundred and ninety Thousand two Hundred and fifty two Naira (N302,590,252.00) between January to December, 2022

The Coordinator JBT Ag.ACG Olugboyega Peters made this known while Speaking with newsmen at the JBPT Zonal Headquarters Ilorin on the achievement of the zone in 2022.

The ACG gave the breakdown of the seizure goods which includes:
2,052 Bags of Foreign Parboiled Rice (50 kg each) an average of 4 trailer load
4,598 liters of PMS (Petrol)
40 drums of 800 liters of Diesel
28 units of used Vehicles
16 units of Motorcycle (Means of Conveyance)
11 kegs of Vegetable oil (25 liters each)
102 bales of Secondhand clothing
19 Sacks of 2166 Pairs of Used Shoes
427 Wraps of Cannabis sativa
4 packet of Tramadol (200 pieces each) of 120mg
90 Pieces of Used tyres
39 cartons tomato paste among others

According to him, in line with the extant laws, most of the inflammable products have been auctioned to the public with the amount generated as fees remitted to government coffers.

“From the records above, Sector 3 at different times seized 109, 350 liters of PMS in Jerri cans which are equivalent to over three tanker loads at 33,000 liters of petroleum par tanker.

“I want to use this opportunity to warn the daredevil smugglers who still have intention to smuggle illicit, controlled and prohibited goods or engage in human trafficking and other criminal activities to think twice.

“There will be no hiding place for them as the new patrol strategies adopted by the sector in line with the Presidential directive against illegal perpetrators who are bent on derailing the Nation’s economy will be made face full wrath of the law.

“However, on a sad note, on Friday 21st October, 2022, the Sector 3 operatives on information patrol were attacked by a group of hoodlums who laid ambush and pelted them with stones, bottles, cutlasses, sticks, charms, guns and other dangerous items at Igboho town of Orelope Local Government of Oyo State, when officers were coming to Headquarters with the seized rice and PMS at Sinau-Kenu Road in Baruten LGA of Kwara.

One of our officers ASCI Saheed Aweda succumbed to the cold hands of death (may his gentle soul rest in peace) while three (3) officers sustained life threatening injuries and later recovered after a long stay at hospital.

“This trend of unprovoked attacks by faceless cowards whose intention is to instill fear in the minds of law enforcement operatives shall not go unpunished. Neither will it dampen the resolve of our officers and men from carrying out their statutory duties.

I wish to categorically state that we will continue to carry out the anti-smuggling crusade in spite of the unwarranted attacks.

The Sector used the medium to advise parents/guardians to warn their wards to desist from obstructing our operatives from performing their legitimate duties as the Sector will not hesitate to use appropriate force in line with rules of engagement and will leave our Officers with no other alternative than to defend themselves in the interest of the nation.” He said

“While carrying out the above constitutional powers, in accordance with Section 149- which empowers Customs officers to search vehicles and ship, in the early hours of Wednesday, 23rd of November, 2022, our operatives deployed to Suleja axis of Niger State, while on routine patrol intercepted a Toyota land cruiser Jeep with registration number KUJ 570 MB from Abuja heading to Kaduna.

The operatives requested for the vehicle Customs documents from the occupants. The two (2) occupants who could not produce any document disembarked from the vehicle, pretending to be making a call to the owner and suddenly took to their heels and ran into the bush and abandoned the vehicle. This raised the suspicion of our operatives.

“As mentioned above, Section 149 which empowers officers to search vehicles and ship, while conducting search on the vehicle, the operatives found a complimentary card bearing details of a National Assembly Member.

The said Honorable member was subsequently contacted and officers were confronted with shocking news that the vehicle in question was snatched few hours earlier from his driver at gun point around Gwarimpa axis of Abuja

“I want to assure you that once the customs duty of the said vehicle is produced by the owner and confirmed to be genuine, the sector will hand over the vehicle to Nigeria Police Force for further investigations and theft clarification

During the period under review, Sector 3 has intercepted a total of three (3) stolen vehicles. Namely; Lexus RX 350 without number plate sized around Benue axis, Toyota Yaris with Registration Number BEN-59-EZ apprehended around Lokoja Axis of the Sector and Toyota land cruiser jeep intercepted at Suleja axis as earlier mentioned”.