FOU Zone ‘A’ up anti-smuggling strategy with SWATT


FOU Zone ‘A’ up anti-smuggling strategy with SWATT
BY EGUONO ODJEGBA

The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone ‘A’ Lagos has introduced a Special Weapons and Tactical Team, SWATT, to deepen its operational strategies and strengthen the blockade of leakages of items associated with insecurity as well as revenue loopholes.
Expectedly, SWATT since inception few months ago have busted a number of high profile concealments and recorded projected critical seizures that has not only saved the country the agony of such items finding their way in and raising the already volatile national insecurity; but also translated into very impressive revenue recovery, put in the region of over N200million.

A source close to the office of the Unit Controller, Yibiri Yahaya, informed Vanguard Maritime Report that SWATT operations have sent jitters amongst unscrupulous importers and their agents, as the new unit stands tall, courteous and yet implacable as it focuses on its task, while also vigorously complimenting the efforts of other units in achieving the service’s overall objective to drastically reduce national insecurity vide improved regime of customs anti-smuggling operation.
Our source highlighted some of the seizures made so far by SWATT to include providing believed to be in tandem with pledge made by Yahaya   
“We are generating revenue and blocking leakages. It is secondary issue at what point revenue leakage is identified, the primary objective is that a leakage was identified and that is what is important.
“Today the country is overwhelmed with insecurity which the federal government is battling to put down. Customs is saddled with this duty in the area of blocking importations of illegal weapons and ammunition. Incidentally, some of these are concealed in customs goods, which have also affected revenue losses through leakages.
“It is a whole big picture, and if people are always finding ways to go around the law, to beat security networks that are in place, no responsible government will sit back and accept its system to be overrun. That is why the Unit Controller also came up with this strategy, and SWATT is on top of its game and have been producing results.  
Checks by Vanguard Maritime Report indicate that some of the seizures made so far include contraband refrigerators, military attires, regulated communication equipments without end-user-certificates etc.
tomato pastes
It will be recalled that upon his deployment to the flagship FOU late last year, Yahiya pledged to continue to build on strategies he met on ground to improve the unit’s operation. Like the
proverbial round peg in a round hole, Yahaya unmoved by praise or attacks, always have his eyes fixed on targets, as his uncommon exploits in and around the territory has continued to gain  traction.
Under his watch, the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali, retired, has had cause to visit Lagos to showcase vsome of the seizures made by the Unit, with a Duty Paid Value of over N15billion.
Unit Public Relations Officer, Jerry Attah said the last of such seizures was forty million, one hundred and forty-four thousand, two hundred and fifty Naira, N40,144,250.00; adding the questionable items were intercepted from various unapproved routes, and major highways within the zone.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SON raises alarm on fake engine oil

SON raises alarm on fake engine oil Task manufacturers on Covid-19 essential products By Eguono Odjegba The Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, has alerted on the circulation of suspected substandard Toyota brand of engine oil in the Nigerian market. Director General of SON, Dr. Osita Aboloma said the suspected substandard engine oil was discovered through the agency’s regular market surveillance in its 42 offices nationwide. He further noted that the imported product had neither undergone the agency’s offshore conformity assessment process, nor registered with the agency for traceability and quality verification. This is even as the agency has appealed to manufacturers to adhere to acceptable standards in the production of quality hand sanitizers/hand lotions as essential preventive items needed to defeat the prevailing fight against the corona virus global pandemic. SON in a statement weekend stated that the Toyota brand of engine oil are being sold in 1litre and ...
Read more

Zone C FOU rakes in N591m from seizures

Image
Zone C FOU rakes in N591m from seizures The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit Zone C, Owerri has generated a total of N591million as Duty Paid Value on 22 seized vehicles, including eight bullet proof exotic autos and 1901 x50kg bags of contraband rice. Controller of the Unit, Compt. Kayode Olusemire while briefing newsmen at the Benin Government Warehouse Friday, put the Duty Paid Value of the seized items at N591million. He explained that six suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures, and are currently undergoing trial at the court. While appealing to Nigerians to strive to discontinue acts of smuggling the customs unit boss described as economic sabotage, he urged genuine importers to acquaint themselves with import customs advice and be adequately informed of what constitutes import prohibitions, noting that ‘Ignorance has no place in law’. Olumisere explained that management of customs is solely interested in trade facilitation, but equa...
Read more

Union block Stevedores from CBA

Union block Stevedores from CBA BY FUNMI ALUKO The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, has said it will no longer accept the middle man role of stevedoring firms in the negotiation and payments of welfare packages for dockworkers; even as he slammed stevedores for shortchanging dockworkers. President General of the MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju dropped this hint aftermath of the signing of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA, between it, terminal operators and relevant government agencies in the industry. Adeyanju said the signing of the CBA midwife by Nigerian Ports Authority and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency has effectively phased away the necessity for stevedores, most of which he described as faceless, hitherto. The Union leader made above disclosure last week while briefing   members of the dockworkers branch of the union on the contents of the newly signed CBA in Lagos. The CBA is documented agreement between employers and the...
Read more