The Sector 3 Joint Border Patrol Team has continued its onslaught on unrepentant smugglers within the Area of Responsibility, North Central States
The reinvigorated operatives of the sector at different times and location had intercepted and seized Three Thousand and Sixty eight (3068) Kegs of 25 litres each of PMS totaling Seventy Six Thousand Seven Hundred (76,700) liters in an attempt to smuggle them out of the country. It is difficult to imagine that despite the current fuel scarcity of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) in the country, some unpatriotic Nigerians still attempted to smuggle this product out of the country through our border.
This was discolsed on Wednesday by psc (+) dss Coordinator Joint Border Patrol Team North Central Zone, Sector 3 Ilorin Kwara State, Compt. Olugboyega Peters during a media parley with journalists in Ilorin pressed conference by
Olugboyega noted that, in line with the extant laws, most of the inflammable products have been auctioned to the public and with the amount generated as fees remitted to government coffers.
“Worthy of note is the fact that petrol smuggling through the sector has continued to be on the decrease in the face of sustained offensive against the illicit trade because the profit motive that drives smuggling is being scuttled. It is therefore reasonable for such people to embrace other means of livelihood”
He maintained that, as part of the team intelligence network, their operatives tracked and arrested a trailer with Reg. No SRP 501 XA loaded with Five Hundred and Fifty (550) foreign parboiled rice of 50kg each, along Mokwa-Jebba Road with a duty paid Value (DPV) of 14, 025,000
“Prominent to note also was the interception of 2019 Lexus Jeep that cost the sum of Twenty one Million Naira (21, 000,000.00) intercepted around Benue axis of the sector. It beats my imagination to think that a man who can afford this type of luxury car can invade customs duty of 7.3 million”.
He noted that Nigeria Customs Service is been guided by the Customs and Excise Management Act Cap C45 LFN 2004 (CEMA) as amended which empowers officers e.g. Section 8 – Customs officers to have Power of Police officers, Section 46- Power of forfeiture of goods improperly imported, Section 149-Power to search vehicles and ship, section 150-Power to search persons, section 158 Power to patrol freely and section 167 provision as to detention, seizures and condemnation of goods etc
He said that the team will not relent efforts to fight smuggling to a standstill.
“We are on daily basis improving on our intelligence gathering method and deploying our efforts, as well as available logistics in accordance with all extant laws as enshrined in the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) Cap C45, LFN 2004 as amended, to ensure that Sector 3 is uncomfortable for all economic saboteurs. We therefore use this opportunity to warn those with evil activities and those using official or company vehicles to smuggle goods into the country to steer clear of sector 3 axis as there shall be no safe haven for them”.
He said, within the period under review, the sector has made One Hundred and Seven (107) interceptions which include Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Foreign Parboiled Rice, Motorcycle, Cartons of Foreign Tomatoes and Secondhand (worn) Clothing with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of One Hundred and Thirty Nine Million Seven hundred and Seven thousand five hundred Naira (139,707,500)
“The three (3) illegal immigrants (Teenagers between 16-18 years of Age) were arrested around Babanna axis of the Sector coming from Benin, Edo State en route Burkina-Faso. After thorough investigation, it was discovered that the teenagers were been traffic by a syndicate to Burkina-Faso. The teenagers were handed over to Nigeria Immigration Service as one of the agencies in the sector saddled with such responsibilities”.
He commended Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) Office of National Security adviser (ONSA) NIA, DSS, Immigration, Nigerian Police Force and other relevant sister agencies, who in their efforts, ensure the realization of our mandate and had made provisions for the needed equipments especially operational vehicles. Recently CGC in his wisdom decided to rejig the sector operatives by injecting new gallant officers and fresh hands for effective performance.
“I cannot close this address without acknowledging the cooperation of the Traditional rulers, Youth and Community leaders, NURTW, IPMAN and the good people of North central States who have continued to provide peaceful and enabling environment for our officers and men to carry out their statutory duties”.
He reiterated that sector 3 under our watch would maintain zero tolerance for smuggling bearing in mind its negative implication on the economic growth and development of our great country Nigeria.
