Customs seizes N5.1b contrabands in Lagos, Ogun

The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has announced the seizing of various exotic cars, foreign parboiled rice, Indian hemp, Tramadol and other contrabands worth about N5.1 billion in the last four months.

Comptroller Muhammed Aliyu of FOU Zone ‘A’ Ikeja, who paraded the items in Lagos yesterday, said they were seized around Lagos and Ogun state axis.

He disclosed that the unit, confiscated 3,792kg of Indian hemp, which were wrapped in different shapes and smuggled into the country from Ghana.

Aliyu, who revealed that the Indian hemp had a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N379.2 million, said they would be destroyed accordingly.

Other seized items were 24 units of vehicles and 34 exotic vehicles on detention (58), 39,664 bags of foreign parboiled rice (equivalent of 66 trailers), 3,252 frozen poultry products, and 2,887 jerrycans of vegetable oil.

Also impounded were 3,792 parcels of Indian hemp, 5x20ft containers of unprocessed wood, 2,520 bales of used clothing, 710 cartons of tramadol among others.

Similarly, 58 vehicles under detention/seizure contain three bullet proof vehicles, among them a Lexus Jeep LX570 (2016) and two Land Cruiser Jeeps (2017/2018) and six Toyota Camry cars.

Other vehicles included two Toyota Hilux (2017), two Toyota Land Cruiser (2016), two Nissan Navara (2016) among others.