By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
The Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT), Sector 3, of the Nigeria Customs Service has made a seizure of 187 different prohibited goods with a duty paid value of N302.5m.
The JBPT Coordinator, Acting ACG Olugbenga Peters, disclosed this at a press briefing on Monday in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, while giving the 2022 scorecard of his team.
ACG Peters added that, during the period under review, the JBPT Sector 3 intercepted three stolen vehicles. The vehicles are Lexus RX 350 without number plate seized around Benue axis, Toyota Yaris with Registration Number BEN-59-EZ apprehended around Lokoja Axis of the Sector and Toyota land cruiser jeep intercepted at Suleja axis.
The seized goods, according to him, include 2,052 bags of foreign Parboiled Rice of 50 kg each,
4,598 litres of PMS (Petrol),
40 drums of 800 litres of Diesel,
28 units of used Vehicles,
16 units of Motorcycles and
11 kegs of Vegetable oil of25 litres each.
Others are 102 bales of secondhand clothing, 19 sacks of 2,166 pairs of used shoes, 427 wraps of cannabis sativa, four
packets of tramadol (200 pieces each) of 120mg, 90 pieces of used tyres and 39 cartons of tomato paste.
He said: “JBPT Sector 3 at different times seized 109, 350 litres of PMS in Jerri cans which are equivalent to over three tanker loads at 33,000 litres of petroleum par tanker.
“I want to use this opportunity to warn the daredevil smugglers who still have intention to smuggle illicit, controlled and prohibited goods or engage in human trafficking and other criminal activities to think twice. There will be no hiding place for them as the new patrol strategies adopted by the Sector in line with the Presidential directive against illegal perpetrators who are bent on derailing the Nation’s economy will be made to face the full wrath of the law.
“Our resolve will not be dampened by unwarranted attacks on our officers and men from carrying out our statutory duties. We will continue to carry out the anti-smuggling crusade in spite of the unwarranted attacks. The Sector wants to advise parents/guardians to warn their wards to desist from obstructing our operatives from performing their legitimate duties as the Sector will not hesitate to use appropriate force in line with rules of engagement and will leave our Officers with no other alternative than to defend themselves in the interest of the nation.”
The Coordinator also disclosed the interception of a Toyota land cruiser Jeep with registration number KUJ 570 MB belonging to a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Chidi Nwoka, reportedly snatched at gunpoint in Abuja.
He said: “The operatives requested for the vehicle Customs documents from the occupants heading to Kaduna from Abuja. The operatives requested for the vehicle Customs documents from the occupants. The two occupants who could not produce any document disembarked from the vehicle, pretending to be making a call to the owner and suddenly took to their heels and ran into the bush and abandoned the vehicle. This raised the suspicion of our operatives.
“The operatives found a complimentary card bearing details of a National Assembly Member. The said Honorable member was subsequently contacted and officers were confronted with shocking news that the vehicle in question was snatched few hours earlier from his driver at gun point around Gwarimpa axis of Abuja.
“Once the customs duty of the said vehicle is produced by the owner and confirmed to be genuine, the Sector will hand over the vehicle to Nigeria Police Force for further investigations and theft clarification”