The Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’ Ikeja, said
it made seizure close to N1.5bn seizure in 2014.
The Controller of the zone, D/C Turaki Usman
made this disclosure when the unit held
its first muster parade at the Headquarters of the Unit in Ikeja –Lagos. The
muster parade attracted offices/men of the Unit from various areas where the
operatives are domiciled.
Beyond the foregoing, the Unit is also
involved in other adhoc and oversight functions, which is encapsulated in its
core functions as a flag ship and hub of anti smuggling in the service. It is
therefore pertinent to reiterate that FOU ‘A’ is multi-facetted in its mode of
operation and statutory responsibility.
Usman noted that between January – December
2014, the Unit recorded 2,914 (two thousand, nine hundred and fourteen)
different Seizures of assorted offending/prohibited goods Valued at N1,446,383,130
(one billion, four hundred and forty six million, three hundred and eighty
three thousand, one hundred and thirty naira only) with Payable Duty of
N618,882,683 (six hundred and eighteen million, eight hundred and eighty two
thousand, six hundred and eighty three naira only) with a Duty Paid Value of
N2,065,265,813 (two billion, sixty five million, two hundred and sixty five
thousand, eight hundred and thirteen naira only).
It would be recalled that during the
corresponding period of 2013, the total Duty Paid Value for the Seizures stood
at 1,521,265:001 (one billion, five hundred and twenty one million, two hundred
and sixty five thousand and one naira only). Comparatively speaking, the figure
for 2014 which stood at over 2 billion represents more than 50% positive
difference. Specifically speaking, the period between July 15th 2014
when the incumbent Controller, D/C Turaki Usman Adamu took over the mantle, marked
a watershed in the operational exploits/achievements of the Unit. This is so
because of some landmark Seizures which became like a turning point for the
Unit. This situation created a paradigm shift which resulted into remarkable
achievements that showcased the capacity and competence of the Controller to
achieve results.
Generally speaking, the spectacular Seizures of Rice at Igbesa creeks in Ogun
State and Oyo Axis respectively will continue to remain topical in any
anti-smuggling discourse in view of the fact that operatives of the FOU ‘A’
exhibited a rare sense of professionalism and bravery in all of those
operations.
The Controller as part of his maiden
address, charged all officers/men to gear up for the challenges ahead as he
noted that deliberate and concerted efforts must be made to surpass the
achievements of the previous year. He reiterated the zero tolerance stance of
the Comptroller-General of Customs Alhaji Adbullahi Dikko Inde CFR to the
importation of frozen poultry products and Rice through the Border areas amongst
others. He charged officers to put necessary operational modalities in place
for the justification of the confidence reposed on the Unit as a frontline
Command.
It is pertinent to reiterate that the
Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’ is a very critical arm of the Service in view
of its crucial role in suppression of smuggling, facilitation of legitimate
trade, monitoring of compliance in terms of enforcement with the fiscal
policies of the Federal Government.
HIGHLIGHTS
OF SEIZURE OF FROZEN POULTRY PRODUCTS.
With reference to the items mentioned above,
the Service had received directive on zero tolerance for poultry products, Rice
and others. This is intended to mitigate some of the challenges the importation
of these products pose to our Economy. Following this, the Unit fine-tuned its
operational codes aimed at not only impounding such products but also blocking
the identifiable supply chains.
Consequently, between January 1st
– December 31st 2014, the Unit recorded massive Seizures of smuggled
frozen poultry products totally 58,611 (fifty eight thousand, six hundred and
eleven) cartons of assorted frozen poultry products Valued at 263,749,500 (two
hundred and sixty three million, seven hundred and forty nine, five hundred
naira only), a Payable Duty of 52,749,900 (fifty two million, seven hundred and
forty nine thousand, nine hundred naira only) and a Duty Paid Value of 316,499,400
(three hundred and sixteen million, four hundred and ninety nine thousand, four
hundred naira only)
SEIZURE
OF RICE FROM JANUARY- DECEMBER, 2014
Following the renewed commitment of the Unit
to raise the standard of its operations, particularly since the inception of
the present administration, the Unit also seized a total of 104,941 (one
hundred and four thousand, nine hundred and forty one) bags of 50kg parboiled
Rice and 869 (eight hundred and sixty nine) bags of 25kg parboiled Rice Valued
at 526,877,500 (five hundred and twenty six million, eight hundred and seventy
seven thousand, five hundred naira only) with a 394,481,250 (three hundred and
ninety four million, four hundred and eighty one thousand, two hundred and
fifty naira only) with a Duty Paid Value of 921,358,750 (nine hundred and
twenty one million, three hundred and fifty eight thousand, seven hundred and
fifty naira only).
SEIZURE
OF VEHICLES FROM JANUARY – DECEMBER, 2014
The Unit effected 445 (four hundred and
forty five) different Seizures of assorted vehicles totaling 579 (five hundred
and seventy nine) units of fairly used vehicles (tokunboh) and 95 (ninety five)
scraps Valued at 346,198,450 (three hundred and forty six million, one hundred
and ninety eight thousand, four hundred and fifty naira only) with a Payable
Duty of 105,239,120 (one hundred and five million, two hundred and thirty nine
thousand, one hundred and twenty naira only) and a Duty Paid Value of 451,437,570
(four hundred and fifty one million, four hundred and thirty seven thousand,
five hundred and seventy naira only).
CONCLUSION
The Controller thanked the Customs
Management ably led by the Comptroller General of Customs Alhaji Abdullahi
Dikko Inde CFR for their support and
encouragement which gave the Unit the necessary impetus to achieve. In the same
vein, he eulogized the officers/men for their resilience and operational
sagacity during the year under review. He promised to decimate the activities of
smugglers in the South West and noted that part of his strategy would be
intensive patrol activities aimed at identifying some of the flashpoints
through active collaboration with patriotic Nigerians and genuine informants.
He advised all those who engage in smuggling to look for genuine means of
livelihood and desist from engaging in illegalities for the sake of the
nation’s Economy. He warned that the Unit will continue to do everything
possible to whittle down the nefarious activities of smugglers in the Zone.
