Comptroller Kola Oladeji, newly deployed Customs Area Controller for Federal Operations Unit(FOU) Zone A has disclosed that tougher days await smugglers in the South West area of the country.
Oladeji who said this in Lagos while taking over from Comptroller Kehinde Ejibunu, said the nation’s economic and social well being must continually be protected through uncompromising anti smuggling activities of the unit.
According to him, no stone would be left unturned in the drive to ensure that smugglers are not allowed to have a hiding place anywhere within his area of responsibility as he will continue to ensure seizures are made with arrest of suspects for prosecution.
He reiterated that his office is open for sharing of intelligence in the national interest that could lead to arrest of persons involved in smuggling prohibited items or trying to evade duty payment which could be injurious to the national economy
According to him, legitimate traders should have no reason to worry as the FOU Zone A will always support facilitating of their trade while also promoting robust customs community relationship in line with the vision of the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.
He called for stakeholders maximum cooperation with his officers and reassured that the unit would continually discharge it’s functions in accordance with the Nigeria Customs Service Act(NCSA) 2023
The fomer Controller of the unit, Comptroller Kehinde Ejibunu at his valedictory press message disclosed that the unit under his watch from 10th September 2021 till yesterday, recorded a total of 3,189 seizures with a duty paid value of ₦35,908,331,412.00 with a total of 386 suspects arrested in connection with some of the seizures.
He added that 22 people were convicted for committing different Customs offences.
Prominent among the seizures are, 222,285 X 50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice (370 Trailer loads) 1,140,864 Litres of premium motor spirit (33 Tankers) 16,432.30kg of Indian Hemp 26,303 pieces of used pneumatic tyres.
Others are; 11,175 Bales of used clothes 751x 70mm of live cartridges 12,912 cartons of foreign frozen poultry products 5,033 pieces of donkey skin 450 x 106kg drums of carbide
