Christian George
Not fewer than 6924 smuggled bags of rice have been impounded by Ogun 1 Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service between April and May.
This is equivalent to 11 trailer loads of foreign rice being impounded within the past two months.
This was made known by the controller of the Ogun 1 Area Command, Bamidele Makinde on Tuesday while fielding questions from the press in the state capital, Abeokuta.
The command added that it seized two brand new 2022 model Toyota Hiace buses with chassis numbers JTHN9CPOP6018610 and JTGHN9CP7P6019835 which were smuggled into the country through a bush path between Sawonjo and Imasayi communities in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State.
In a related development, three foreign-used luxury buses smuggled into the country through the Ohumbe border were also seized on May 15, 2023.
The controller explained that the commission was able to generate N34,174,105 within the period under review, which he said was 69% higher than the N10,615,618 generated in the corresponding period in 2022.
On how the commission was able to attain such a feat, Makinde said that the commission engaged in what he termed a “trade facilitation mechanism.”
Other items impounded included kegs of petrol, used tyres, cannabis and other prohibited items and the total Duty Payable Value of the seizures made in the two months at N335,855,989.
He attributed the success of the commission to the cooperation of other security agencies.
“We have been able to achieve a great deal with their cooperation and teamwork,” he added.
