By Olayemi Esan
The Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Command has intercepted 1050 jerry cans of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) equivalent to 31,500 litres with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N5,393,902.00 as it continues to crack down on smuggling activities in the area.
A statement by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Hussaini Abdullahi, officers of the Command on Wednesday, December 1, 2021, Custom intercepted large quantities of PMS in sacks along the creeks and beaches within Seme and Badagry axis.
The Command’s spokesman said the feat was achieved due to the determination and commitment of the Service in suppressing the activities of daredevil smugglers to the barest minimum across the Country.
“Upon examination, one thousand and fifty (1050) jerry cans of 30litres each of petroleum products which is equivalent to thirty one thousand, five hundred (31,500) litres were discovered” the statement said.
The Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Bello Mohammed Jibo while showcasing the seizures said that the unfortunate scenario is that apart from sabotaging the efforts of Government that is paying huge amount of money to subsidise the products for the benefit of Nigerians, smuggling of petroleum also posses threats to their own lives.
Commenting on the giant strike achieved by the Command, the CAC reiterated the commitment of officers and men of the Command to continue the fight against smuggling and their accomplices with a higher tempo.
The CAC commended CGC Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd) and the Management team for logistical support by providing the Command with four Hilux vehicles to boost it’s operations.
“Customs will continue to enforce federal Government policies with a view to suppress smuggling, collections of appropriate revenue and facilitation of legitimate trade”, Compt. Jibo added