COMPT BALOGUN SAYS INTELLIGENCE-DRIVEN OPERATION A MAJOR BOOST IN FOU’S HUGE SEIZURE PROFILE
The Federal Operations Unit ( FOU) zone ‘C’ in Owerri is deploying several innovative strategies which are intelligence-driven to prosecute its anti-smuggling activities.
Compt BA Balogun disclosed today in Benin while announcing more than N505. 5 million seizures at the customs Aduwawa warehouse in Benin city.
He said the uncustomed goods include, dry salted Donkey skin totaling 3022 pieces, used tyres, used clothing in bales and bags, several bags of foreign parboiled rice as well as foreign wines without NAFDAC number.
Others are foreign cosmetics, foreign geisha,two used trucks and one Toyota Tundra.
He said the briefing provides an open platform to share the Unit’s performance scorecard directly with the most respected Nigerian populace.
According to him, the briefing is also aimed at informing the public about recent milestone achieved as a team , particularly in the area of legitimate trade facilitation, increasing revenue collections, collaborating with relevant security agencies and critical stakeholders, while enforcing government fiscal policy.
According to him, In their effort to inform the general public on the productive activities of the Nigeria Customs Service, the Federal Operations Units (FOU) Zone C, Owerri has continued to work strategically as a team and goal-oriented unit in carrying out its constitutional mandate. The unit under his watch and the able leadership of the Comptroller General of Customs, CGC BA Adeniyi MFR, shall continue to deploy an intelligence-led strategy in their day-to-day operations, which has yielded tremendous successes in their interventions and anti-smuggling drive.
During the period under review, his officers and men exhibited the highest level of professionalism and relentless efforts in the implementation of government fiscal policy by enforcing the provisions of the NCS Act 2023 as it relates to Import, Export, Revenue Generation, Security of lives and properties, the nation’s borders of the South-South and South-Eastern States. The items arrested for investigation within their area of operations are as follows:
1. Dry salted Donkey skin 3022 pieces packed in sacks.
2. Used Tyres.
3. Used Clothing in bales and bags.
4. Bags of foreign parboiled rice in 50kg and 25kg.
5. Foreign wine in cartons without NAFDAC number.
6. Foreign cosmetics, 58 cartons without NAFDAC number.
7. Foreign Geisha in cartons.
8. Bags of woven empty 50kg sacks loaded.
9. Two used trucks, Mercedes trucks, and a Scania truck.
10. One used Toyota Tundra SUV.
11. One used J5 Bus and others.
The total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N505,520,886.00 (Five hundred and five million, five hundred and twenty thousand, eight hundred and eighty-six naira only).
He deposed that the unit remains committed to the policy thrust of the CGC BA Adeniyi (MFR) that emphasizes the following the cardinal principles of consolidation on successes achieved, collaborative engagement with all relevant security agencies and critical stakeholders, and innovative ideas in its dealings to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in Customs operations. In our inter-agency collaboration, the seized Cannabis Sativa shall be handed over to NDLEA, whereas the Medicament is to be handed over to NAFDAC, and the seized Dry Salted Donkey Skin will be handed over to NESREA, etc.
“These timely successes and achievements are a result of the purposeful leadership of the Comptroller General of Customs, a high level of professionalism, commitment, and teamwork. We remain committed to sanitizing the zone of any form of illicit trade activities and facilitating legitimate trade. Let me use this medium to thank the amiable CGC and his entire management team for the dynamic leadership styles and qualities. We call on our traders and stakeholders to be compliant, as our officers are professionally trained to checkmate the activities of non-compliant traders and block likely areas of revenue leakages”.
Finally, he commends the media for their relentless efforts in making sure the Anti-smuggling activities, innovations and the giant strides of the unit and the service in general spreads across nation at large. They urged all well-meaning Nigerians to support the service with necessary information and intelligence that could assist the service in curbing the smuggling of illicit goods and substance into the nation.