Between April and May, the Ogun 1 Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said that its employees seized no fewer than 6,924 bags of smuggled foreign parboiled rice, which is equivalent to 11 trailer loads. Additionally, the Command intercepted and seized two brand-new Toyota Hiace buses, chassis numbers JTHN9CPOP6018610 and JTGHN9CP7P6019835, while they were being smuggled into Nigeria through a bush path
Additionally, on May 15, 2023, three foreign, used luxury buses that had been smuggled into the country through the Ohumbe border were seized.
This was made clear on Tuesday while Bamidele Makinde, the controller of the Ogun 1 Area Command, was speaking to journalists at the NCS office in Abeokuta.
Makinde revealed that during the time under review, the command generated N34,174,105, 69% more than the N10,615,618 generated during the same time period in 2022.
He claims that during that time, the Command worked with compliant traders to facilitate trade by discussing “our trade facilitation mechanism” ways to improve their business operations.
In the hope that “this will lead to an increase in export trade, which would, in turn, contribute to increasing our revenue and national GDP,” he stated that the recommendations and suggestions made during the engagements would be implemented.
Kegs of gasoline, used tires, cannabis, and other prohibited items were among the other recorded seizures, according to the customs boss.
He estimated that the total Duty Payable Value (DPV) of the two-month seizures was N335,855,989.
“We have been able to achieve a great deal with their cooperation and teamwork,” he said, expressing appreciation for sister security agencies’ cooperation.
