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The Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Owerri, Zone ‘C’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized 333 bags of foreign rice concealed with crates of bear and malt and smuggled into the country.
The command also intercepted trucks conveying 4,958 pieces of used and expired tyres brought into the country in three containers in Benin City, Edo State.
While 230 bags were found in the brewery truck, another 103 bags concealed with empty oil gallons were seized from a Mercedes Coaster bus along the Owerri-PortHarcourt road axis.
Briefing newsmen on the seizures in Owerri and Benin City, the Customs Area Controller of the F.O.U., Comptroller Olusemire Kayode, said the Duty Paid Value (DPV) for all items seized was N182 million.
Kayode said that the rice conveying truck, owned by one of the brewery companies, was impounded early morning on Christmas Day, along Owerri-Port Harcourt Road by officers on patrol duty.
He said that the owner of the goods (rice) had apparently used the truck as a disguise to beat Customs checkpoints.
Kayode said investigation was still ongoing to ascertain the number of trucks and those behind the nefarious act.
He, however, said the driver of the truck abandoned the vehicle and ran away when he was intercepted.
“Whoever sees this truck will think it’s carrying just empty crates. But concealed inside it are 230 bags of foreign rice. This is an old trick and we’ll continue to intercept and seize such smuggled goods because they will never escape our radar. We’re mopping up rice in this zone and anywhere we find a bag of foreign rice, we will pick it up”, Kayode said.
He advised management of companies to beware of the kind of persons they employ as drivers, disclosing that NCS would prosecute the company if it failed to produce the fleeing driver.
The customs boss expressed shock that in spite of the dangerous effects of used tyres in the country, some people were still in the business of smuggling them into the country.
“As you can see almost all the tyres expired since 2011. But our people don’t see any danger in bringing them into the country.
“The statistics we have is that 259 people died in accidents this past Yuletide and used tyres contributed to the 90 percent of the cause of the accidents and deaths.
“Because we have made the importation of rice abhorrent and loathsome, they have resorted to bringing used tyres”, he said.
Three suspects have since been arrested in connection with the smuggled goods.
