90% of cars in Nigeria were smuggled in – custom boss

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), said yesterday that 90 per cent of cars in Nigeria were smuggled into the country by unscrupulous elements.

Ali, who said this while addressing newsmen in Abuja, alleged that many vehicles on display for sale in auto shops across the country were also smuggled.

He explained that the recent raids of the various car dealers’ spots in some parts of the country were to ascertain whether the vehicles were brought in genuinely or not.

According to him, the country needs revenue for development, hence, it became necessary to collect duties on those smuggled vehicles.

“We want to use this opportunity to ensure that cars within our borders are fully customised, which means duties are paid on them.”

“We are looking for revenue from everywhere and we have these people who brought in vehicles and failed to pay duties.

“What we are doing now, we are just enforcing the law, which allows us to collect revenue on behalf of Nigeria and also ensure those vehicles you and I will go and buy have genuine papers that are roadworthy,” he said.