The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, Ikeja has auctioned part of the intercepted N1.5billion petroleum products to the public.
The service started the auctioning of the first set of the 11,000 Jerry cans that were evacuated from Ijofin, a creek Under Ipokia local government of Ogun State.
The auctioning which started on Monday to members of the public still went on through to Tuesday.
Also, security agencies who collaborated with the unit in fighting smuggling at the creeks and land borders were freely given the seized products.
However, speaking with journalists on why the service auctioned the fuel, the Command’s Public Relation Officer, Jerry Attah said it was done because the seized product is highly inflammable and could be kept for long.
He also revealed why the auctioning wasn't done in the creek saying the unit feared it may be returned to the smugglers.
He said,”the seized products were auctioned because they were highly inflammable and cannot b kept for long. We all know it is dangerous to keep petroleum products let alone 11,000 jerry cans of seized products."
Speaking on reason it was auctioned at Ikeja and not at the place of arrest, Attah said, "we all know that if we sell at Idiroko, we are selling back to the smugglers, but because we don't want to encourage the saboteurs, we have to sell to the public at an affordable rate," he explained.
Recall that the enforcement unit of the FOU Zone A, Ikeja on Friday intercepted 50,000 Jerry cans of petroleum products bound for Benin Republic.
The petroleum products were sandwiched in about 12 wooden speed boats to be smuggled out of the country.
The Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, Zone A, Aminu Dahiru who was accompanied by the Customs Area Controller of FOU Zone A, Compt. Mohammed Aliyu and controller of Ogun Command, Michael Agbara said the interception were made after days of intelligence gathering by officers of the unit.
According to him, exportation of petroleum products through the creeks is an illegal trade and the service will continue to deal with it.
He said, "This is a big seizure and it needed to be showcased because of the seize, the volume involved. The 11,000 Jerry cans that were evacuated worth and in addition there is more than triple of it in the creeks about to be snuggled out of the country so we thought it's time to show Nigerians on activities of economic saboteurs and how we are dealing ruthlessly with them.
Speaking on how the seizures were made, Dahiru said, "This is an unimaginable seizures made by officers. since it is a petroleum products we do not expect it to be smuggled into Nigeria so naturally it is going out also part of what you saw in the morning at the FOU, Zone A, Ikeja came from this point. This can confirm what i say that what we have in the water triple what we have at FOU.
According to the officer who dosent want his name in print, he said, "if three boats could carry 11,000 Jerry cans and we have about nine boats left yet to be evecauted then we should have about 39,000 left in the creek.
But, speaking on the number of seizures, Dahiru said. "We are sure of what we have at FOU because that gave us exactly 11,000 jerrycan of petroleum products and what we have here is more than what we have their what have been evacuated is just a pinch but, the value can only be determined if we know the quantity but the other one at the FOU, we are able to arrive at N40m because we multiply numbers of kegs to numbers of litres to arrive at that.
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