Men of the Federal Operations Unit of the Nigeria Customs Service Ikeja weekend took their fight against Car smugglers to the door steps of auto dealers when it raided auto marts in Festac and Ikoyi , Lagos .
By the time the Operation was done 59 assorted vehicles with over 40 of them 2017 models were impounded. Customs helmsman of FOU Ikeja, Uba Muhammed who briefed journalists in Lagos Wednesday said the vehicles included Toyota Prado jeeps, Lexus jeeps, Toyota hilux, Toyota Camry , Toyota Camry and Hiace buses, among others. The cars are valued at over N1b.
He said the car dealers have a one month period of grace to show proof they were not smuggled into the country through our land borders. Importation of vehicles through Nigeria’s land borders is prohibited. Mohammed said some of the seized vehicles are bullet proof cars for which the importers require an end users certificate from the office of the National Security Adviser.
The Customs Chief also announced the arrest of six suspects in respect of the seizures. Other seizures made by the Customs Command in October include 6,206 bags of rice, 67 bales of second hand clothings, 270 cartons of refined sunflower vegetable oil, 600 cartons of foreign poultry produce, 405 pieces of used tyres and 13 parcels of Indian hemp. Mohammed arguably Nigeria’s foremost anti smuggling czar warned that he would be ruthless with smugglers and that under his watch economic saboteurs would be chased to their hideouts.