The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) in the last seven days seized goods worth N52.36 million along the Lagos-Ogun axis.
The FOU Zone A is the operation unit of Customs covering the South West geo-political zone with headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos.
The new controller of the unit, Mr Sanni Madugu, told journalists in a press briefing yesterday that the goods which are either goods under trade prohibition, or which importers failed to pay their duties, were intercepted within Lagos and its environs, including the Seme and Idiroko axis.
Madugu, who was made the comptroller of the zone on November 6, 2015, said that he was not oblivious of the expectations of the comptroller-general of customs, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), and his management team, whose policy thrust is anchored on transparency, honesty, and integrity.
“These virtues have become our guiding principle and that was why on assumption of office as the comptroller of the FOU Zone A, I had stressed the need for officers to key into this change mantra.
“As a way of ensuring that very decisive steps are taken to decimate the smugglers, we have adopted several operational modalities for actualisation of expected results,” he said.
He disclosed that since he resumed as the Comptroller for the zone, his men had impounded various kinds of assorted contrabands and arrested suspected smugglers who are still being interrogated.
Giving a breakdown of the seizures, he said his men seized 239 bales of second hand clothing valued at N10.03 million; 1,120 cartons of 950MW generators (popularly known as “I better pass my neighbour”) valued at N13.4 million; and 1,822 bags of rice valued at N11.8 million.
Other seizures according to the Controller, include 336 jerricans of vegetable oil packed in 36 cartons and valued at N2.4 million; 1,138 cartons of frozen poultry products valued at N6.8 million, as well as 138 bales of clothings valued at about N5.8 million and 98 pieces of used compressors worth N980, which were intercepted and seized in the morning of yesterday by an FOU Zone A patrol team led by deputy superintendent of Customs, Jude Ohagwu.
Madugu also said his unit intercepted 42 parcels of Indian hemps worth about N2 million, which he said would be handed over to the appropriate agency of the government, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), in line with service protocols.
“The FOU Zone A is deeply committed to eradicating smuggling along the nooks and crannies of the area under our watch. We are committed to intelligence-led Customs operations and this entails partnership with patriotic Nigerians,” he noted.
