Hyacinth Chinwuba
The Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’ Ikeja has intercepted of an articulated truck laden with items suspected to be contraband goods.
The items in the seized vehicle include five thousand and twenty (5020) cartons of smuggled frozen poultry products neatly concealed with two thousand and sixteen (2016) packages of nestle bottled water with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of thirty million, one hundred and seventeen thousand, six hundred naira (N30,117,600.00) only.
The Controller Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’, Comptroller Amade Abdul during a chat with the media recently, disclosed that the operation leading to the seizure was led by Assistant Comptroller of Customs Shittu Abdulmaruf on the 1st October 2015.
The articulated 18 tyre truck was intercepted along the Sagamu-Ijebuode express road.
He stated that the vehicle was immediately brought down to the Headquarters of the federal Operations Unit Ikeja, where 100% examination was conducted.
He promised that the Unit will continue to degrade the capacity of smugglers however sophisticated they may be.
However, the controller stated that he had pre-empted that smugglers may want to take advantage of the Eld-el kabir celebration to perpetrate their heinous crime, hence his directive to all team leaders for a proactive approach.
He pointed out that “the operational dexterity of the Unit cannot be compromised, in consideration of the need to protect our country from being a dumping ground”.
The Controller also said that a suspect apprehended in connection with the seizure will be a clue towards unraveling the major kingpins behind the illegitimate transaction with a view to ensuring that they are prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others.
The Controller added that the Seizure became particularly symbolic consideration the ingenuity of the smugglers to the extent that they could contemplate that mode of concealment.
He stated “the Service under the present Comptroller-General of Customs Col. Hammed Ibrahim Ali Rtd will reach its full potentials in view of the antecedents of the CGC and his generally acclaimed stance on anti-corruption. We have taken cognizance of the new order and we must work towards ensuring that the mission and vision of the Comptroller-General is actualized.
On the issue of frozen poultry products, the Controller pointed out that the Service since inception of ‘Operation Hawk Descend’ have recorded very remarkable achievement which can easily be seen from the scarcity and high cost of the products in the Nigerian market.
“From the look of things, it is certain that our aggressive patrol activities along the flanks and flashpoints have turned on serious heat on the smugglers, thereby forcing them in their desperation to look for alternative means of smuggling.