Customs Seizes Contrabands Worth Over N7bn As Federal Operations Unit Zone “C” Gets New Comptroller
Federal Operations Unit Zone “C” of the Nigeria Customs Service said it seized contrabands worth N7,577,259,390.00 between January 25th, 2023 and April 19th, 2024.
Outgoing Comptroller Kayode Kolade disclosed this in a farewell message while handing over to new Comptroller of the Unit, Mr Michael Ugbagu.
While thanking the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, Kayode described Ugbagu as “a thorough enforcement guru.
“I am grateful to the Comptroller-General of Customs; Adewale Adeniyi, MFR and his entire management team, for the trust and confidence bestowed on me from January 25th 2023 to April 19th 2024 as I handover the affairs of this unit to another amiable Comptroller Michael Ugbagu, who is also a thorough enforcement guru,” Comptroller Kayode said.
He thanked officers of the unit for their unparalleled support, commitment, dedication, handwork and prayers, adding that their support was the reason for his successes.
“With all your support and cooperation, the Unit within my tenure was able to make substantial and spectacular seizures ; totaling 198 seizures with a duty paid value of Seven Billion, Five Hundred and Seventy-seven Million, Two Hundred and Fifty-Nine Thousand, Three Hundred and Ninety Naira only (N7,577,259,390.00) derived from five sacks of Pangolin scales weighing 413.1kg worth N523,356,390; 1,813 bags of 50KG each of foreign parboiled rice worth N105, 105,000.00; 815 SACKS of Cannabis Sativa weighing 17,950KG and 2,935 PARCELS (1KG EACH) weighing 2,935kg (TOTALING 20,885KG) worth N1,670,800,000.00,” he said.
According to a statement made available by Jerry Attah, Public Relations Officer, for the Zone ‘‘C”, other seizures include: 31 CTNS containing 3,600 bottles worth N21,600,000.00, 52 vehicle units including 3 armored vehicles (N4,275,000,000.00), 9 sacks 50kg of explosive materials/super power 90 subtance/cables (N12,990,000.00), 1,807 jumbo bales of used clothings and 48 sacks of used shoes (N451,750,000.00 and N4,800,000.00 respectively).
Others are 955 cartons of expired drugs including tramadol (N238,750,000.00) 6,457 pieces of used pneumatic tyres (N96,855,000.00), 364 packs of foreign spaghetti (N7,280,000.00)4,693 cartons of foreign tomatoes paste (N234,650,000.00) 80 jerrycans of 25KG of vegetable oil (600,000.00) 1,329 cartons of eva soap (33,255,000) and 32 jerrycans of 25litres each of premium motor spirit (N468,000,00).
Comptroller Kayode added that although FOUC is not a revenue-generating unit, under his watch and based on interventions to checkmate the activities of fraudulent agents at the seaports, lots of lost revenues were recovered to the tune of One Hundred and Fifty-Five Million, Eight Hundred and Nineteen Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fourteen Naira only (NN155,819,714.00.) within his 15 months in office.
He also reconstructed and equipped a clinic at the Unit’s office, in Owerri, where officers and Men, as well members of the host community enjoy free health care services administered by the unit’s qualified medical personnel.
He thereby called on everyone to extend same support and cooperation to his successor, Comptroller Micheal Ugbagu as he pilots the affairs of the unit and wished him well.
“ I wish you well my brother. You will succeed and your legacies will be felt as well”, he said.
In his remarks, Comptroller Michael Ugbagu thanked the CGC and his entire management team for bestowing him with the mandate to oversee the affairs of FOUC.
He thanked Comptroller Kolade for his “highly commendable” achievements while pledging continued compliance with established guidelines.
“We will ensure compliance with the current import and export guidelines using intelligence and technology to drive our operations.
“There will be a watertight security against smuggling activities across the zone. Smugglers will be discouraged, frustrated and made uncomfortable, thereby making smuggling, duty evasion and warehousing of smuggled goods unattractive within the zone,” he said.