The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said has intercepted a vehicle with a suspected fake ‘Covid-19 sticker’ used to smugglefrozen chicken into the country.
The unit also intercepted various contraband with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N12.7billion between January to April 2020, even as it said in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the unit, Jerry Attah, on Tuesday, that the officers intercepted the vehicle under the guise of essential duty smuggling cartons of smuggled frozen chicken into the country from Benin Republic.
Attah who quoted the Customs Area Controller of the unit, Usman Yahaya, said the vehicle was arrested along Ijebu ode expressway.
He also disclosed that it was intercepted based on intelligence by eagle eye officers who were on routine patrol at the axis.
According to him, "The officers were professional enough to intercept the vehicle which was believed to be used in the movement of essential commodities but was surprise to see that it was used for illegal activities such as movement of contraband"
"We have arrested the vehicle and investigation has commenced to get to the root and unravel other atrocities that may have been committed using the essential duty tag."
He nevertheless said that the unit also paid N1.14 billion into the Treasury Single Account of the federal government from Debit Note (DN) on intercepted containers from Lagos seaport, voluntary payment of Customs duty on vehicles, auction sales from PMS among others
Giving a break down in the seizures, he said 25 units of fairly used vehicles worth N108million, 5,644 cartons of frozen chicken worth N54.1million were intercepted, 9,843 bags of 50kg smuggled parboiled rice worth N130.4 million and sacks of textile materials worth N94million were seized in the month under review.
Others are, N14million worth of used tyre, 3,764 kegs of smuggled vegetables oil worth N69.2 million, 8,365 litres of smuggled petrol also known as (PMS) and AGO also known as Diesel worth N35million.
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