Valentine Okafor
The Lilypond Export Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized scores of containers suspected to be used in smuggling activities.
Comptroller of the Command Ajibola Odusanya, speaking on the issue said the Command while acting on credible intelligence, deployed a combined team of the Lilypond Export Command officers and officers of the Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU) following the discharge of some export bound containers at the barge area of Apapa Port on October 11, 2024 intercepted and detained these containers suspected to being used for smuggling.
Odusanya recalled that a total of Eleven units of 20FT containers fully laden with Rough/Sawn Timber were seized and the content estimated to have a street value of Two Hundred and Ninety-Five Thousand, Nine Hundred and Forty-Four US Dollars ($295,944.00).
The LEXC on November 1,2024 scheduled the suspected containers for hundred per cent physical examination and they were found to contain raw and unprocessed timber which contravenes Schedule 6 of the Common External Tariff (CET).
He gave particulars of the 11 containers as TRLU9354677, MRKU9991028, TCLU2179830, MSKU5051480, MRKU7071648, MSKU5894593, TCLU2179830, MSKU5051480, MRKU7071648, MSKU5894593, TCLU2543324, MSKU3929849, MSKU7323470, MSKU5953248, and GAOU2550990.
Going by the provisions of Sections 148,149 and 150 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 the detained containers have been converted to seizures, while the Command is yet to apprehend the culprits behind this criminal act.
The Command expect these seizures to serve as deterrent to any person or export trader planning to perpetuate similar offence.
“I assure that the long arms of the law would catch up with anyone that dares our resolve. This further underscores the CGC’s zero tolerance for smuggling, even in the area of export. It goes further to confirm our alertness with the support of other units within the service and sister government agencies to detect and prevent criminal activities in the area of export.”
“I want to use this opportunity to, once again, urge our Small, Medium and Large-scale exporters to take advantage of our easy processes and window of opportunities provided by the Federal Government to encourage export trade. We shall continue to engage our partners and stakeholders as mandated by the CGC following the theme of the World Customs Organization for 2024 and that of the recently held 2024 Comptroller General of Customs Conference.” added Odusanya.