Story by Dili Utomi.
The Sector 2 of the Joint Border Patrol Team with Lagos as its operational headquaters and which has all the South Western states of Nigeria as its Area of Responsibility has continued to determinedly perform its primary responsibilities of the protection of the national economy and the facilitation of legitimate trade despite the tedious nature of their job.
The Coordinator of the Sector 2 of this Unit is the firm and focused Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Mohammed Salisu Shuaibu who along with his men have also been impressive in carrying out their functions as dictated by the mandates of the Customs Act, 2023.
The Federal Government found it necessary in 2019 to constitute joint operations with the view to curbbing smuggling activities and other cross border crimes that threaten Nigeria’s economic and security and the exercise has so far achieved tremendous successes going by the number of interceptions of prohibited items, channeling of procedures, generated revenues through additional payments and auction sales with the proceeds remitted into the federation account, accordingly.
There also are arrests of suspected immigrants involved in illegal movements across the national borders.
In his press briefing Thursday, the Coordinator of the sector 2 Unit said that the underlisted items were seized over the two months period under review and deposited into the Six (6) Government Warehouses (GWH’s) across the sector. The items have the Duty Paid Value of One Billion, Three Hundred and Eighty One Million, Thirty Thousand, Four Hundred Naira (₦1,381,030,400) . They have the auction Value of Thirty One Million, Three Hundred and Eighty Two Thousand Naira (₦31,382,000) and were seized for violating various sections of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, the Federal Government import and export guidelines and the Nigeria Immigration laws. They are:
PREMIUM MOTOR SPIRIT, 4,019 JERRYCANS of 30ltrs each
FOREIGN PARBOILED RICE, 2,633 BAGS x 50kg each
SECOND HAND CLOTHING, 868 JUMBO BALES
CODINE SYRUP 100ML EACH, 790 PIECES
ARTIFICIAL RAIZING, 338 SACKS
UNSPECIFIED KG OF PANGOLIN SHELL, 179 SACKS
CANNABIS SATIVA, 154 BLOCKS of various sizes
USED FOOTWEARS, 135 SACKS
GINGER, 77 SACKS
CALCUIM PROPIONATE E282 FOOD ADDICTIVE (20KG), 45 BAGS
FOREIGN PARBOILED RICE, 21 BAGS x 25 KGS EACH
CARS ( FAIRLY USED DETAINED), 15 UNITS
CARS ( MEANS OF CONVEYANCE), 5 UNITS
CARS (FAIRLY USED RELEASED), 5 UNITS
TRUCKS, 4 UNITS
MATANTI MACARONI, 3 CTNS
MATANTI SPAGHETTI, 3 CTNS
MOTORCYCLES, 2 UNITS
TRICYCLE, 1 UNIT
SUSPECTS, 2
SUSPECTED IMMIGRANTS (MALE), 109 IMMIGRANTS
SUSPECTED IMMIGRANTS (FEMALE), 47 IMMIGRANTS
TOTAL DPV is ₦1,381,030,400
His words “Together with the Nigeria Immigration Service being a critical component of the Joint Border Patrol Team, we intercepted One Hundred and Twenty Five (125) Persons Refused Entry, Eleven (11) Person Refused Departure, Eighteen (18) Trafficking in person and Two (2) Suspected Trafficking Agents who violated Immigration laws and were immediately handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service for further investigation and prosecution where necessary”.
“The Sector also recovered a total of Twenty Six Million One Hundred and Thirty One Thousand Two Hundred and Sixty Naira (₦ 26,131,260) Revenue through the issuance of Debit Notes (DN) on vehicles and other goods were underpaid. JBPT Sector 2 is not relenting in its efforts of combating smuggling activities and illegal immigrants that are undermining our national security”.
DC Shuaib warned the groups of unpatriotic citizens who engage in smuggling activities that they will always have his Sector to contend with as the Sector has deployed intelligence to continually apprehend offenders. He urges smugglers to shun smuggling and avoid being lured into crimes with the aim of making easy wealth.
He calls on all stakeholders such as traditional rulers, religious bodies and youth leaders to sensitise their subjects against smuggling activities which destroy the nation’s economy, undermine the national security and transfer employment to other nations.
His promise “The sector is fully prepared to face the challenges ahead as we are into the last quarter of the year 2024, we are enhancing our collaboration and the use of intelligence to contend with the possibility of more desperation from the smugglers. We are taking more proactive measures by confronting them with increased vigor in line with the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi’s marching order”.
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