The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A has announced that it has impounded some prohibited vehicles and other contrabands with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N10billion in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Infinity Tyres

The Acting Controller of the Unit, Usman Yahaya, vowed to sustain the fight against smugglers and their unlawful activities.

The Public Relations Officer of the Unit, Peter Duniya, made the disclosure in a press statement.

According to Yahaya, “The contraband comprised of 34 fairly used and new vehicles which were laden with second-hand clothes, Indian hemp and foreign parboiled rice.

The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A officers.
The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A officers.

“The economic saboteurs met their waterloo when our operatives acted based on credible information, made a single seizure at Ido-Eruwa Road in Ibadan, Oyo State.

“The contrabands include 34 different brands of both new and used vehicles laden with banned items such as second-hand clothes, foreign parboiled rice and Indian hemp.”

However, Yahaya further stated that though there was stiff resistance from the smugglers who engaged the support of hoodlums, the Customs operatives displayed a high level of professionalism and restraint to secure the contraband to the Customs warehouse in Lagos.

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“Our operatives were met with stiff resistance from a combination of smugglers, hoodlums and villagers. However, with the application of a high level of professionalism, the patrol teams were able to bring all the vehicles down to Lagos without any casualty,”.

The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A officers with seized contraband.
The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A officers with seized contraband.

He, therefore, warned smugglers to desist from engaging in economic activities that sabotaged the government policies of making Nigeria self-sufficient in food production.

“While we appreciate the support and the cooperation of patriotic members of the public in carrying out our mandate by providing timely and useful information, however, recalcitrant economic saboteurs should note that they would continue to count their losses because we are better mobilized, organized and backed by the extant laws to be always ahead of them,” he concluded.