The Joint Border Patrol Team Sector 2, South-West Zone, Lagos has made seizures of smuggled items worth N1,381,030,400 and arrested 15 suspects between July and August 2024. The team also seized 4,019 jerrycans of 30 litres premium motor spirit from smugglers within a week
Addressing a press conference in Lagos, Coordinator of the team Mohammed Salisu Shuaibu told journalists that the seizures are a fallout of intensive anti smuggling activities across various border areas in the South Western States of Nigeria.
Shuaibu,a Deputy Comptroller of Customs said the onslaught against smugglers has achieved tremendous success going by the number of interceptions of prohibited items made
He disclosed that in addition to the seizures,the team has achieved generating revenues through additional payments and auction sales with the proceeds remitted into the federation account accordingly. He said a total of N31,382,000 was made into government coffers from auction
Giving a breakdown of the items seized which were deposited into the 6 Government Warehouses (GWH’s) across the sector, Shuaibu listed 2,633 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice;868 jumbo bales of used clothing;790 pieces of 100ml codeine syrup; 338 sacks or artificial raisins and 154 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa. Other items seized include 135 sacks of used footwear; cars; motorcycles and other items
Shuaibu said the team also prevented illegal migration and made arrest of persons handed to Nigeria Immigration Service for further processes
He said “Together with the Nigeria Immigration Service being a critical component of the Joint Border Patrol Team, we intercepted One Hundred and Twenty Five (125) Person Refused Entry, Eleven (11) Person Refused Departure, Eighteen (18) Trafficking in person and Two (2) Suspected Trafficking Agents who violated Immigration laws and were immediately handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service for further investigation and prosecution where necessary.
“The Sector also recovered a total of Twenty Six Million One Hundred and Thirty One Thousand Two Hundred and Sixty Naira (N 26,131,260) only Revenue through the issuance of Debit Notes (DN) on vehicles and other goods were underpaid.
“JBPT Sector 2 is not relenting in its efforts of combating smuggling activities and illegal migrants that are undermining our national security.
“While the federal government is committed to ensuring the availability of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to the citizenry. It is disheartening to know that some notorious smugglers are bent on smuggling the products to the neighboring countries for their selfish gain. These groups of unpatriotic citizens will have us to contend with, as the Sector has deployed intelligence to apprehend offenders” he said
The coordinator urged members of border communities to shun smuggling and reiterated the team’s readiness to face it’s responsibilities as it enters the last quarter of 2024.
