Nigerian Customs Officers Moves To Raid Warehouses With Foreign Rice In Southwest

 

Following the massive importation of contraband, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) yesterday ordered that warehouses and markets stacked with smuggled rice across the South-West should be raided. Its Comptroller General, Col. Hammed Ali (rtd), who gave the directive, said that the move was part of measures to get rid of smuggled foreign parboiled rice and to boost local production of rice in the country.

Already, no fewer than 1,930 bags of 50kg smuggled rice were evacuated from various warehouses in Lagos and Ogun states via the Service’s Strike Force, Zone A, Lagos. Coordinator, Comptroller General of Customs (CGC)’s Strike Force, Ahmadu Bello Shuaibu, a deputy comptroller, lamented the high fee of contraband that were falsely declared as machinery to keep away from Customs duty.

He explained that thru imposition of levy, the unit generated N708 million in the last two weeks. Shuaibu pressured that 1,227 rolls of chiffon textiles materials, 18 pallets of perfumes, cosmetics, bags, 2,064 cartons of electrical bulbs and 1,810 cartons of alcoholic and non-alcoholic wines had been seized, announcing that they could be forfeited to the Federal Government.

He said: “1,930 baggage of 50kg of overseas parboiled rice were seized in two weeks. This is to make sure that the united states of america is rid of smuggled overseas parboiled rice as we have commands of the Comptroller General of Customs that markets and warehouses of smugglers should be raided and smuggled rice evacuated.”

He noted that because of the warmth from the unit, smugglers had determined it hard to transport smuggled overseas rice from the border in huge quality however in batches via bikes, including that the carrier had limited them and stopped their operations.

The coordinator stated: “We have diverse ranges of infractions on cargoes that had been seized. Cargoes which includes perfumes, non-alcoholic wines, electric bulbs, foot wears, bags and footwear that have been falsely declared as machineries and washing machines.

“Perfumes, non-alcoholic wines, electric bulbs, textiles are dutiable, but overseas foot wears, baggage are banned because we've got factories investing heavily and employing Nigerians to provide them. So, we need to inspire them to do more and must not discourage them via importation of these objects into the united states of america.

“We are nevertheless appealing to our stakeholders that they have to paintings hand in hand to make certain right declaration. Perfume is dutiable, however once it's miles falsely declared, it's miles at risk of seizure. Also, non-alcoholic wines are prone to seizure.

We have factories that produce wines, so we should patronise them to reinforce the economic system.” On why importers favored fake statement of cargoes, Shuaibu stated that importers of machinery pay 5 in line with cent customs responsibility and were not levied, whilst different luxurious goods like perfumes, non-alcoholic wines had high Customs duty with import levy.