Imo: Customs Intercepts 333 Bags Of Foreign Rice Concealed With Beer Crates

OGBONNA IWUAGWU

The Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Owerri, Zone ‘C’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it has intercepted and seized 333 bags of foreign rice concealed with crates of beer and malt and smuggled into the country.

Briefing newsmen on the seizures in Owerri and Benin City, the Customs Area Controller of the F.O.U., Comptroller Olusemire Kayode, said the duty paid value for all  items seized was N182 million.

Kayode said that the rice conveying truck, owned by one of the brewery companies, was flagged down along Owerri- Port Harcourt Road by officers on patrol duty. He said that the owner of the goods (rice) must have used the truck as a disguise.

Kayode said investigation was still ongoing to ascertain the number of trucks and those behind the nefarious act. He, however, said the driver of the truck abandoned the vehicle and ran away when he was intercepted.

“We’re not relenting in our efforts to curb the shenanigans of smugglers. During the Yuletide, we made several seizures: rice, suitcases, vegetable oil and used tyres.”

“Whoever sees this truck will think it was carrying just empty crates. But concealed inside it were 230 bags of foreign rice. This is an old trick and we’ll continue to intercept and seize such smuggled goods because they will never escape our radar. We’re mopping up rice in this zone and anywhere we find a bag of foreign rice, we will pick it up” Kayode said.

He advised management of companies to beware of the kind of persons they employ as drivers, disclosing that NCS would prosecute the company if it failed to produce the fleeing driver. The Customs boss expressed shock that in spite of the dangerous effects of used tyres in the country, some people were still in the business of smuggling them into the country.

“The statistics we have is that 259 people died in accidents this past Yuletide and used tyres contributed to the 90 percent of the cause of the accidents and death.”

He advised Nigerians to stop engaging in businesses that are inimical to the growth of the economy.