The Federal Operations Unit Zone C of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reported that it seized contrabands worth N7.6 billion between January 25 last year and April 19th this year.
The outgoing Controller of the Zone, Comptroller Kayode Kolade, who gave these figures in his farewell message during a brief handover to his successor, Comptroller Michael Ugbagu, commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi and the management team, for the trust and confidence reposed on him to serve as Controller FOU Zone C.
He said: “I am grateful to the Comptroller-General of Customs; Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR and his entire management team, for the trust and confidence bestowed on me from January 25th 2023 to April 19th 2024 as I handover the affairs of this unit to another amiable Comptroller Michael Ugbagu, who is also a thorough enforcement guru.
“With all your support and cooperation, the Unit within my tenure was able to make substantial and spectacular seizures; totaling 198 with a duty paid value of N7.6billion The details include five sacks of Pangolin scales weighing 413.1kg worth N523.4million and 1,813 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice worth N105.1million and 815 sacks of Cannabis Sativa weighing 17,950kg and 2,935 parcels (1kg each) weighing 2,935kg (totaling 20,885KG) worth N1.7billion.
“A breakdown of other seizures 1.DSP/CMC Cough syrup with Codeine, 31 cartons containing 3,600 bottles valued at N21.6million, two vehicles, 52 units including three armoured vehicles valued at N4.3billion, explosive devices comprising nine sacks of 50kg of explosive materials/super powder 90 substances/cables valued at N12.9million”, Kolade added.
Available data on the unit’s operations showed that within the review period it seized used clothes and shoes comprising 1,807 jumbo bales of used clothes, 48 sacks of used shoes with estimated value put at N451.8million and N4.8 million respectively.
The unit also seized unregistered and expired medicaments during the period under review, which consist of 955 cartons of expired/various brands including tramadol with a street value estimated at N238.8million as well as used pneumatic tyres comprising 6,457 pieces worth N96.9million and foreign spaghetti loaded in 364 cartons valued at N7.3million and foreign tomato pastes comprising 4,693 cartons with a street value of N234.7million.
Also seized by the unit were 80 jerry cans of 25kg of vegetable oil worth N600,000, foreign soaps comprising 1,329 cartons of Eva soap worth N33.3million, petroleum products comprising 32 jerry cans 25litres of Premium Motor Spirit PMS valued at N468,000.
The outgoing Comptroller added that although the unit was not a revenue-generating unit, but that based on interventions to checkmate the activities of fraudulent agents at the seaports, lots of lost revenues were recovered to the tune of N155.8 million during his tenure.
He advised men of the service and other stakeholders to extend support to his successor, Comptroller Michael Ugbagu as he takes over the operations of the unit.
In his remarks, Comptroller Michael Ugbagu, thanked the CGC for bestowing him with the mandate to oversee the affairs of FOUC and also his predecessor for what he termed his “highly commendable achievements while he held sway and pledged continued compliance with established guidelines.
“We will ensure compliance with the current import and export guidelines using intelligence and technology to drive our operations.
“There will be a watertight security against smuggling activities across the zone. Smugglers will be discouraged, frustrated and made uncomfortable, thereby making smuggling, duty evasion and warehousing of smuggled goods unattractive within the zone”, Ugbagu added.
Photo Caption
L-R: Comptroller Kayode Kolade during the handover of operations of the Federal Operations Unit Zone C of the Nigeria Customs Service to Comptroller Michael Ugbagu at the Zone C headquarters, Owerri, Imo State capital.
