The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ikeja has warned importers and their clearing agents against making false declarations in their documentation, as the unit has vowed to tighten its noose through intelligence-driven operations against underpaying duties and any form of concealment by any economic saboteur.
The Controller of the Unit, Mohammed Shuaibu, gave the warning during a courtesy visit by the members of the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria to his office in Lagos.
Shuaibu also emphasised the importance of complying with global best practices and established rules of engagement in maritime and shipping operations to prevent the seizure of their goods.
He said, “This command is meant to be an anti-smuggling command, but we also facilitate trade. In terms of our anti-smuggling activities, very soon we are going to showcase some of our seizures to the public. These include some illicit drugs and the suspects involved in the deal.
According to him, “This command is meant to be an anti-smuggling command, but we also facilitate trade. In terms of our anti-smuggling activities, very soon we are going to showcase some of our seizures to the public. These include some illicit drugs and the suspects involved in the deal.
“I do intelligence-driven operations. What we are trying to do is to ensure that we don’t just stop any kind of containers, even those checking points you see our officers roving around, we would want to eradicate that, while we will be doing intelligence-driven operations.
“So, at any point in time, you will see that our officers will stop you and then remove those illegal items that are supposed to be extracted from your consignment. If importers and clearing agents are honest in declaring exactly what they have in their containers, why do we need to disturb ourselves moving around with vehicles to track them? We should relax in the comfort of our office to do the operation.
While promising to consolidate on the successes achieved earlier, collaborate and synergise with the necessary stakeholders in facilitating trade, Shuaibu said the command will always collaborate with sister agencies.
He also promised to deploy his wealth of experience to navigate the complexities of the Unit and bring to bear intelligence-driven operations rather than stopping containers incessantly on the highways.
