{"id":1523,"date":"2019-08-31T00:12:48","date_gmt":"2019-08-30T23:12:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shippingworld-ng.com\/?p=1523"},"modified":"2019-09-02T07:17:51","modified_gmt":"2019-09-02T06:17:51","slug":"fou-zone-c-owerri-make-landmark-seizures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shippingworld-ng.com\/index.php\/2019\/08\/31\/fou-zone-c-owerri-make-landmark-seizures\/","title":{"rendered":"FOU ZONE C OWERRI MAKE LANDMARK SEIZURES"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Customs Area Controller Nigeria Customs Service Federal\nOperations Unit Zone \u2018C\u2019 Owerri, Comptroller Olusemire Kayode has advised Nigerians\nto acquaint themselves with the country\u2019s import and export prohibition list to\navoid running afoul of the law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comptroller Olusemire who made this known in a press briefing\nyesterday at Nigeria Customs Service government warehouse in Aduwawa Benin,\nsaid the Service is not against legal trade or business but against illegal\nimportation and smuggling. He disclosed that the Unit has made various seizures\nwith a cumulative duty paid value of N501, 650,025 from July 2019 till date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While responding to complaints and public outcry against\nconstant seizures by the Unit, he advised would be importers to confirm the\nstatus of any import or export they are to embark on as smugglers are losing\nmillions of naira and forfeiting a lot of money to the federal government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conducting newsmen round the warehouse where the seizures\nwere displayed he said rice still tops the list of items seized by the Unit with\na record of 3433 bags of foreign rice seized from July till date. This was\nfollowed by others like medicament, cars, second hand clothing, and used tyres\namongst others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have over 3433 bags of 50 kg foreign rice that was\nintercepted. Government has said a lot on importation of rice into the nation. Overtures\nhave been made and incentives have been put in place to stop the nefarious\nactivity of rice smuggling which directly impacts on the economy of the\ncountry. Despite all these we still discover that people are not ready to key\nin to government\u2019s programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGo over there you will see rice, you will see medicament,\nyou will see used tires, you will see bales of second hand clothing. These are\nitems that we believe that by now with all the efforts being made by government\nit ought to have stopped but people are still going about bringing them in. It is\nquite unfortunate for them because no matter the way you come in we are there\nto nip their activities in the bud; anywhere you pass through we will catch you\nno matter how clandestine we will get them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis one is a Dangote vehicle carrying rice at the back\nconcealed with cement. Anybody that sees it will think that it is conveying\ncement while it is not so. About two months ago we showed you the silos that\nwere carrying rice and the tanks that were concealing rice. This has not\ndeterred us; we are always ready and prepared to thwart their antics,\u201d he\naffirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He advised rice smugglers to desist from smuggling and look\ninto local production of rice to boost food sufficiency in the country. \u201cIf you\npass through Ondo state, through Ifon Sabe our patrol team are there. If you\ncome out through Mfum and try to come out to anywhere we are there. Ikot Ekpene,\nSapele just try it we are there. We are moving round the zone and making people\nto know that this business is no more a viable business. Nigeria is aiming at food\nsufficiency. We have rice in abundance and we have arable land for planting\nrice in Nigeria. Everywhere is green so why are we in the habit of bringing in\nwhat they say we should not bring in,\u201d he queried. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He disclosed that 7 suspects were arrested in connection with\nthe rice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comptroller Olusemire while displaying a truckload of\nmedicaments with no NAFDAC registration number or generic name condemned such\nimportations describing as being harmful to the health and wellbeing of\nNigerians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHere we have a truckload of medicaments. The Service has destroyed\n49 trucks of medicaments weeks ago but despite that fact people are still going\nabout doing the same business.  These are\nmedicaments to be sold to innocent citizens without NAFDAC number neither does\nit have a generic name known to anybody. Can\u2019t we just change our means of\nlivelihood? If you know this is not good for the people why do you go about\nbringing it in?\u201d he asked calling on smugglers to turn a new leaf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have rice here concealed with all these electronics. When\nyou see it on the road you will think they are carrying something else. Some\ntransport companies are in the business of conveying contraband goods so my\nappeal to anybody is that if you are transporting your consignment please be\nsure of the transport company you are using to transport your goods. When they\nare loading your consignment at any of the parks be there to ensure your\nconsignment is not loaded with contraband. You can go to Customs website and\nsee the contraband listed there. There is no ignorance in law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur dragnet is everywhere to get those involved in the\nsmuggling of second hand clothing. These are clothes worn by other people and it\nis unhygienic for any Nigerian to wear it. That is why it is under absolute\nprohibition. You cannot bring it in under any disguise but some people are\nstill into the business of trying to bring it in. however we are working\ntowards eradicating smuggling in the country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am using this medium to appeal to the public that whenever\nyou see customs officers on patrol please be patient with them. It is our duty\nto pick up any goods that is uncustom, we have the statutory duty to do this. We\nwork with information. This truck was accosted because we had information that\nthis truck carrying plastics is also carrying 165 bags of 50 kg rice. It was\ncaught at 2am when they thought no one is at alert. It takes intelligence to\npick something of this nature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlease we appeal to the masses that we need information. We\nneed your assistance because most of these smugglers are members of the\nsociety. Information given to us will be treated discreetly. Nobody will\ndisclose or divulge your information. Please we need it to be able to eradicate\nthe smugglers in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Displaying the vehicles intercepted in Benin axis he said, \u201cwe\nare having 16 of these beautiful vehicles seized from July to date. We have an\narmoured Land Cruiser, Lexus 570 amongst others. I wonder why you travel abroad\nand buy a car and pay for your car over there but to come and pay duty in\nNigeria becomes a problem. Most people say they bought their vehicles from car\ndealers and we have been advocating that if you get into any car lot ask for\nthe C number that is the Customs number. With this you will be able to confirm\nif the document given to you is genuine. Call any customs formation we have Help\nDesk with information pertaining to any vehicle you wish to purchase. So before\nyou buy a car in Lagos and it is accosted in Benin or in Warri and you start\ntelling us that I didn\u2019t know please confirm your C number to know if duty was\npaid on the vehicle,\u201d he advised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also urged importers to pay appropriate duty on their vehicles. \u201cEven if you went through the port and duty was paid we can confirm if the duty paid is enough if it is not enough we give you DN. we have accosted containers and cars and we raised DN because we discovered the duty paid on it was not enough,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n