Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) yesterday said the battle line drawn between it and smugglers would persist as long as their (smugglers) inimical venture of sabotaging the federal government’s fiscal policy on food sufficiency in the country continued.
Stating this at a press conference in Idiroko, Southwest Nigeria, the Customs Area Comptroller, Michael Ogbara, said “We have always warned them to be patriotic and help the government to achieve food sufficiency, of which one of the pillars is local rice production.
“Smugglers are hell bent on thwarting the efforts of the government’s program. We as an agent saddled with the responsibility of checkmating them will not rest on our oars.
The CAC stated that, with that determination, the Command, having the full backing of the government, would stop at nothing seizing foreign rice anywhere; be it in their warehouses, residents, road and footpaths.
To this end, he said, a total of 6,194 bags of rice were seized in August, 2018, adding that, it was the highest monthly seizures ever made in the Command since the inception of the of the policy.
Ogbara also said that tremendous seizures of 27, 085 bags (50kg each) had been made in the first eight months of the year, a figure that had exceeded the 21, 789 bags of rice seized from January to December, 2017.
Accordingly, the Command made a total revenue generation of #799, 682, 839 :62, out of a monthly revenue target of #727, 775, 499: 91 (excess of #71, 907 339, 71.)
In the area of anti-smuggling, the Ogun State Command of the Customs seized 33 vehicles, 6, 194 bags of foreign rice (50kg each), 395 kegs of vegetable oil (25kg each), 1, 954 pairs of used foot wears, seven bales of second hand clothing and 45 cartons of frozen poultry products.
Other seizures made within the period under review were 340 kegs of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) other (25 litres each) 150 cartoons of ceres red grape juice and five cartons of Ribena currant juice, with a total Duty Paid Value of #382, 263, 360.
The Customs boss hinted that 11, 057 bags of rice and other perishable goods had been handed over to the Internally Displaced Persons in Borno State through the Nigerian Army Corps of transportation and logistics in line with Customs headquarters directive.
He commended the patriotic role of sister agencies, traditional rulers, eminent personalities and some host communities “who have always partnered with us in our quest to effectively perform our statutory functions in compliance with extant government policy,”