Ogun Customs Generates 53 Million In Two Weeks

By Michael Ayotunde

The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Ogun State Area Command, said it has generated a sum of 53 million naira within the space of two weeks.

It also said it seized 28 vehicles including smuggled ‘Tokunbo’ cars and others used for conveying smuggled goods.

The Ogun new NCS Controller, Micheal Nwagbara made this known while reeling out his achievements in just two weeks of assuming office.

Nwagbara explained that a total of thirty (30) seizures with Duty Paid Value of N53, 320, 025.00 were made.

The seized items according to Nwagbara, include: 28 vehicles (4 units of tokunbos and 24 means of conveyance), 3, 041 bags of foreign parboiled rice (50 kg each), 14 bags of 50kg each of foreign sugar, 3 bales of secondhand clothing, 295 kegs of vegetable oil, 211 kegs of PMS (petrol) and 99 compressed book packs of Cannabis sativa (popularly known as Indian Hemp) among other items.

He further explained that four suspects were arrested in connection with smuggling of various prohibited items, saying one among the suspects has been arraigned at the Federal High Court Abeokuta and others will follow suit.

“Seizure of the above mentioned quantity of rice will surely impact on the Federal Government policy on agricultural development in the area of boosting local rice production. On the other hand, the seizure of petroleum product intended to be smuggled out of Nigeria by some unscrupulous elements is a sound bite to prospective/intending smugglers of such items. While the cannabis sativa (Indian hemp) seized have thwarted the devilish motive of some drug traffickers and addicts.”

The Area Controller also met with critical stakeholders including neighboring colleagues of Benin Republic.

Some of the stakeholders he met include: Head of Customs in Igolo of Benin Republic, Commissioner of Police Ogun state, Alake of Egbaland, Director DSS Ogun state, all heads of sister security agencies in Idiroko Border among others. The aim of the visits according to him is to promote synergy geared towards effective and efficient service delivery.

Controller Nwagbara also added that new checkpoints have been added to the existing ones in order in order to make business transactions seamless and easy.

“On your way coming to Idiroko, you must have noticed the aggregation of the numbers of checkpoints man by personnel of Nigeria Customs Service. This is a gigantic effort geared towards achieving one of the core functions of Customs (i.e trade facilitation) and to passionately key into the Federal Government Executive order on ease of doing business.”

The Custom boss however warn men and officers of the command to desist from extortion, collusion and permissive behavior which will attract severe sanctions for any culprit, stressing that hard work and exemplary behavior will henceforth be rewarded adequately.

He thereby reiterated the resolve of the command not only to surpass the achievements of the former Controller Sani Magudu, but also to galvanise the axis as an income generating point for the nation and and a hell route for smugglers