FOU Intercepts 37 Vehicles Worth N1.4b

The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Lagos has intercepted 37 vehicles worth N1.4 billion.

Comptroller-General of the service, Hameed Ali, made this known Tuesday while inspecting the vehicles even as he declared war against smugglers that obstruct its officers through violence.

“For those who use violence as instrument of intimidation, let it be known that going forward, NSC operatives will not hesitate to use force to deal with any threat that is intended to obstruct performance of our statutory function,” he said

The Roving team of FOU, Zone ‘A’ had between August 2 and 4, 2017 intercepted 37 assorted vehicles smuggled into the country through Cotonou, Benin Republic.

The seized vehicles include: Eight 2017 model Lexus jeeps LX570; 12 Land Cruiser jeeps and 17 Toyota Hilux with duty paid value (DPV) of N1.37 billion.

The Customs also seized 12,081 bags of parboiled rice with DPV of N149 million, and another 156 seizures including bales of used clothes, Indian hemp and used tyres, among others.

The FOU said no fewer than 17 suspects were currently in custody over the smuggling of vehicles and general goods and were being investigated.

“In the face of security and economic challenges, no responsible government will fold its hand while unpatriotic elements continue to engage in illegal activities that will further compromise national economic and security well-being of her people,” Ali said.

He, therefore, assured that the NCS would continue to work towards ensuring compliance with all extant laws governing imports and exports in Nigeria.