The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit Zone “C” has said that it seized contrabands worth N7,577,259,390.00 between January 25, 2023 and April 19, 2024.
Outgoing Comptroller Kayode Kolade disclosed this in a farewell message while handing over to his successor and new Comptroller of the Unit, Mr Michael Ugbagu.
Kayode thanked the Comptroller-General of Customs; Adewale Adeniyi, and his entire management team, for the trust and confidence bestowed on him to serve as the Comptroller of FOU C.
“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”.
He thanked officers of the unit for their unparalleled support, commitment, dedication, hard work and prayers, adding that their support was the reason for his successes.
His words: “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“.
Other seizures include: 31 cartons containing 3,600 bottles of DSP/CMC cough syrup with codeine worth N21,600,000.00; 52 Units of vehicles, including three armored vehicles valued at N4,275,000,000.00; Nine sacks of 50KG of explosive materials/Super power90 substance/cables worth
N12,990,000.00, with its security implications avert; 1,807 jumbo bales and 48 sacks of used shoes worth N451,750,000.00
and N4,800,000.00 and 6,457 pieces of pneumatic tyres at N96,855,000.00
Others are: 955 cartons of various brands of unregistered/expired medicaments, including tramadol worth N238,750,000.00; 364 cartons of foreign spaghetti valued at N7,280,000.00;
4,693 cartons of foreign tomato paste worth N234,650,000.00; 80 jerry cans of 25kg vegetable oil valued at 600,000.00 and 1,329 cartons of foreign soap (EVA soap) worth 33,255,000 and 32 Jerry cans of 25 litres each petrol worth N468,000.
He 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 N155,819,714.00 within his 15 months in office.
Comptroller Kayode 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.
In addition, to ensure a healthy work-life balance, he carved out a very spacious office for sports activities with fully installed gym equipment where officers and men can exercise.
He called on everyone to please 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.
On his part, Comptroller Michael Ugbagu thanked the CGC and his entire management team for bestowing him with the mandate to oversee the affairs of FOU C.
He thanked Comptroller Kolade for his highly commendable achievements while he held sway and pledged continued compliance with established guidelines.
His words: “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 called for support and cooperation from the media and the general public to enable him carry out his new assignment.
