NCS intercepts smuggled foreign rice, PMS, others worth N769.5 million

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘B’ Kaduna has seized smuggled goods valued at N769.5 million over a span of 41 days.

The Guardian gathered that the 98 seizures of 21 different items, include contrabands such as foreign parboiled rice, petroleum products, used vehicles and unregistered alcoholic beverages.

The Comptroller of the unit, Dalha Wada Chedi, who disclosed this at the unit’s headquarters in Kaduna, showcased the seized contrabands smuggled goods through the Northwest and North Central regions of the country from February 17 to March 28.

He highlighted the seizure of 372 bags of offensive rice intercepted by unit operatives and stored at the Kwara Area Command.

Chedi further enumerated other seized items to include, 698 bags of 50 kilogrammes of foreign parboiled rice, 715 jerry cans of Premium Motor Spirit (25 litres each), 12 used vehicles, 65 jerry cans of foreign refined vegetable oil (25 litres each), 136 foreign used tyres, 367 cartons of foreign spaghetti, macaroni, couscous, 136 bales of foreign secondhand clothing, and nine cartons of Chakapain Xtra (50mg).

Additional items seized were 425.5 cartons of foreign milky creamer & milk powder, 600 bags of Sokoto cement used to conceal items, 400 cartons of unregistered organic fertiliser, 14 bags of foreign tiger nuts, 151 cartons of unregistered alcoholic beverages, 1,314 sachets and 68 cartons of foreign butter, 40 cartons of expired foreign general goods.

Also seized were, 120 cartons of foreign eva soap, 170 bags of sodium sulphate (25kg each), 20 cartons of foreign dye powder, and 379 assorted general goods intercepted at Daura for improper exportation, alongside four units of conveyance means.

Chedi expressed concern over smugglers altering vehicle identification numbers (VINs) to evade arrest or manipulate duty payments.

He urged the public to verify VINs on both the windscreen and chassis of vehicles before purchasing, as falsification is punishable under section 236 (b) of the NCS Act 23, with penalties including a N2 million fine, two years imprisonment, or both.

He also encouraged the public to take advantage of a 90-day window to regularise improperly imported vehicles, highlighting the suspension of the 25 per cent penalty previously imposed in addition to import duty on such vehicles, making regularisation more accessible.

Chedi praised the unit’s officers for their effective intelligence network in combating rice smugglers who use new methods to conceal smuggled rice in local flour sacks, disguising it as flour.

He warned against smugglers who incite mobs to attack operatives or stage illegal demonstrations, stating that they will not deter the service from its duties and will face legal consequences.