NCS arrests 136 smugglers, makes 1,119 seizures in 2023

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone ‘A’, has said it arrested 136 smugglers in the Southwest zone in 2023, in connection with 1,119 seizures worth N10.4 billion.

Displaying the seized items to reporters at the Ikeja headquarters in Lagos, yesterday, the controller of the unit, Hussein Ejibunu, said the arrested persons had been charged to court and were at different stages of prosecution, after profiling and investigation.

The items include 83,170 (50kg bags), equivalent to 139 trailer loads; 13,706 (25-litre kegs) of PMS; 8,372kg of Indian Hemp; 2,942 pieces of tyres; 2,153 bales of used clothes; 3,095 cartons of frozen poultry; 320 cartons of illicit drugs; 15 pieces of bullet proof jackets, 15 pieces of jack knives, and 68 pieces of military camouflage.

Others are: 450 drums (of 106 kg) carbide; one 40 ft and two 20 ft containers of charcoal; and 132 units of foreign used vehicles. Ejibunu said 16 people were convicted at the Federal High Court for improper importation, assault on Customs officers, possession of foreign parboiled rice and possession of Pangolin scales.

He said other smuggling-related cases instituted in courts were at various stages of prosecution and would be followed up diligently. He said in 2024, the unit, through its legal office, will follow all pending court cases to logical conclusions. Ejibunu noted that the unit was able to recover N851.7 million as revenue through meticulous checking of documents.

“We were able to identify shortfalls in duty payments, from which demand notices were issued and accurate revenue was recovered. These are revenues that would have been lost by the Federal Government to the pockets of some non compliant business men,” he said.

On 2024 projections, the controller reiterated that the unit’s battle to prevent smuggling will be intensified and that officers will not relent in carrying out seizures, arrests and prosecution of criminals who contravene the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

He added: “Let me put it on record that we shall lawfully arrest and prosecute any individual involved in attacking officers who are discharging their legitimate responsibilities. No attacker of our personnel will be spared from facing the full wrath of the law.”