The Customs Federal Operations Unit in Ikeja, Lagos said that it made 816 seizures with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of over N1billion in the first quarter of this year.
Giving an insight into the performances of the command last week when he spoke with our correspondent, the acting comptroller, Mr Victor Dimka also disclosed that within the three months under review, five people were convicted while 105 suspects are currently being prosecuted by the service.
The Customs Federal Operations Unit in Ikeja, Lagos said that it made 816 seizures with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of over N1billion in the first quarter of this year.
Giving an insight into the performances of the command last week when he spoke with our correspondent, the acting comptroller, Mr Victor Dimka also disclosed that within the three months under review, five people were convicted while 105 suspects are currently being prosecuted by the service.
Attributing the feat to the excellent support that the command receives from the Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Diko Abdulahi Inde, the FOU Customs boss also lamented that the task of fighting smugglers is always faced with different challenges/.
“One of our major challenge is the antics of double agents, who will pretend to be our informants, but who also gives information to smugglers, but when we observe such pranks we know how to deal with it”, he assured even as he stated that the use of mobile telephones has made anti-smuggling more challenging. “You know what telephone can do, before you know what is happening, smugglers and their collaborators connect themselves to pre-empt our moves, but we are more than equal to the task”, he said.
He however assured that FOU will not spare smugglers, saying that the command was ready to give the smugglers a big fight.
He equated smugglers with armed robbers and said “ if any day a smuggler raises a gun against customs officers, we (Customs) would gun him down.’’ “They continue to maim our officers. If they attack us, we would get them maimed,’’, the Comptroller said.
“Some of us have given our lives to the job and if the smugglers go deadly, we would go more deadly, he said.
According to him, the feat that is being recorded by the command is also as result of the excellent disposition of the current management of the Customs to the welfare of the service’s personnel.
We have enough logistics to work with, it’s no magic that we are doing well , my men are well motivated, he stressed.
On the booming automobile market at the popular Berger car market in Lagos and why Customs have not raided the market even when it is obvious that some of the vehicle son sale there are smuggled, , Dimka said for customs to raid such a big market searching for smuggled vehicles was not easy as it might turn deadly.
If we decide to go into Berger market to pick up smuggled vehicles, there would be serious bloodshed because we are armed and the sellers are not.’’
He said if anybody is arrested by Customs after buying a car from Berger without the necessary duty paid on such a car, the buyer might be bailed after bringing the seller.’’
He disclosed that three of five people convicted recently by the service were those selling smuggled cars at the Berger market.
He warned the public to ensure they buy cars from importers who paid customs duties on their cars. Dimka said those who sent for cars from Cotonou should beware of the agents who would always try to evade duties.
He said this was why more cars were seized from the borders than at the ports, even as he explained that because of the ECOWAS trade liberalisation scheme, a Nigerian could go and buy a car from Cotonou but must pay all customs duties.
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