Customs Hand Over Seized LPG Cylinders to SON

• Customs Hand Over Seized LPG Cylinders to SON

The Controller, Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja, Mohammed Garuba, has said that the Command has transferred a 40-feet container carrying substandard Liquefied Petroleum Gas cylinders to the Standards Organisation of Nigeria.

While stating that the container was intercepted on the highway based on information received, he said that the reason for the interception was that the importers failed to provide relevant Customs papers.

He added that after cross examination of the container, the NCS discovered an excess of N504,000 excise duty, which was not paid by the importer.

Garuba said, “We made sure an additional money of about N504,000 has been collected, hence the reason for the detention of the container here. We do not want the Federal Government to be short-changed.

“We are going to collaborate with sister agencies to ensure that the Federal Government’s objective is achieved.

“We have been notified by SON that the container was on their watch list and this is why we are handing over the container to SON for further investigation. If goods are substandard, they have ill effects on Nigerians and the national economy at large. The essence of inter-agency collaborations is to protect the society.”

The Director-General, SON, Mr Osita Aboloma, who was represented by the Director, Compliance, Bede Obayi, stressed the need to check substandard goods before they leave the ports.

“We do not have to chase these containers on the highways. It is just a waste of time, resources and very unsafe for our officials. These goods are better stopped before entering the country. Nigeria is a very big country and SON cannot be everywhere at the same time to intercept these goods,” he said.

Meanwhile, the NCS Strike Force on Rice Smuggling, Ogun State Command, has said that it intercepted five trailer-load of smuggled foreign parboiled rice in Ijebu Ode area of the state.

It added that the seizure, amounting to about 3,000 50kg bags of rice, had a Duty Paid Value N42m.

The interception came barely a week after the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, hinted of the planned closure of the land borders with an unnamed neighbouring country due to massive smuggling of rice into Nigeria from the neighbour.

The Zonal Commander of the strike force, Salisu Assababullah, said it was able to make the seizure through intelligence it gathered on the fresh wave of smuggling of parboiled rice.

Assababullah explained, “The Comptroller General of Customs task force intercepted 3,000 bags of 50kg rice smuggled into the country. They were intercepted along the Ijebu Ode Expressway with two suspects in custody.

“We were able to get intelligence report that container-laden trucks were being taken to the border area to be loaded with smuggled rice and sealed as if they were released from seaports.”

Assababullah, who attributed the success recorded to the other members of the team, also acknowledged the Federal Government’s approval of brand new pickup vans for anti-smuggling activities, which he noted aided the recent interception made.

On June 7, 2016, the Federal Executive Council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari approved the sum of N1.5bn for the procurement of 68 brand new Ford pickup operational vehicles for the Customs.

The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, who briefed State House correspondents alongside the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed; and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, explained that the operational vehicles currently available to the service were grossly inadequate for effective anti-smuggling activities.