APAPA CUSTOMS AREA COMMAND BREAKS ALL TIME RECORD OF GENERATING N11.3bn OUTSTANDING DAILY REVENUE

By Okey IROEGBU 

The Apapa Command of Nigeria Customs Service also known as the flag ship of all the customs commands in Nigeria has achieved a landmark revenue collection of N11.3bn in a single day on November 22, 2023 beating the existing highest daily collection record of N10bn which was  achieved on August 3, 2023.Commenting on this, the Customs Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Babajide Jaiyeoba, described the collection as a combination of teamwork, diligence, system audit compliance and zero compromise. He therefore urged the officers and men of the command to sustain the tempo of hard work continuously. It could be observed also that the command collected N135bn for the month of October, which presently is the highest monthly collection in its history.These two highlights of the recent daily and monthly revenue collection achievements should be a motivation for officers to do more to justify the confidence invested in the service by the Federal Government. This in turn is expected to meet the expectations of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, in the areas of maximum revenue collection, legitimate trade facilitation and suppression of smuggling. According to a press release from the Public Relations Officer of the Area Command CSC Abubakar Usman, “the CAC also urged members of the Apapa port community like importers, licensed customs agents, chandlers, haulage operators, and freight forwarders to see compliance and obedience to laws as part of their civic responsibility as citizens.” In line with government policy with civil servants, the customs boss gave assurances that his door will always remain open for dialogue and suggestions on ways to improve customs service delivery and achieve federal government objectives. He did not forget the synergy existing between the service and other security operatives and sister agencies. He lauded them for their cooperation while describing customs relationship with them as excellent all geared towards realizing government goals.In many fora, the Customs Area Controller has maintained that the command will definitely meet the annual revenue target. “We are very optimistic about meeting our target for the year. Even though, from the initial part of the year, it was not what was expected but from what we have been recording in the last 2 months, I am very optimistic that we will be able to get there”.“I keep telling some of my subordinates, who want to be discouraged, that it is not over until it is over. I believe it is achievable. What we need is the willpower and the willpower is there. I know that by the end of the year, we will have cause to celebrate.“My counsel to sister agencies is that they stick to their standard operating  procedures, and I want to put on record that other security agencies  have been cooperating with us.“The issue is just with these non-governmental organizations, and we will continue to tell them let’s play the game by the rules. Whether you are an agent or licensed chandler, there is a condition for your license. The condition for every operator is spelt out. If we all play according to the rules of the game, there will be less friction, and we will be able to achieve a secured port environment.“I keep telling people that, we are working because the port is secured .The onus is not only on any of us, but all of us. We should all be able to do what we need to do to secure the port. An agent can discover that some of their counterparts are doing things that can undermine the security of the port. They should let us know so that we will address it right from the beginning before it causes a problem to everyone,” the CAC said.Comptroller Jaiyeoba no doubt will achieve whatever he is out to achieve. It could be noted that the Customs Area Controller while taking over from his predecessor, ACG Mohammed, said he is aware that his assignment is not easy but expressed high optimism to surpass targets and beat expectations. Despite the beautiful records of the highest daily collection record of N10bn which was achieved on August 3, 2023 and later broken by Comptroller Jaiyeoba on assumption of duties on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, the previous months and daily revenue were not very impressive.Prior to the official handing over, ACG Auwal Baba Mohammed the former Customs Area Controller of the command before his elevation to an Assistant Comptroller General hinted that the Apapa Command of Nigeria Customs Service collected N676b as revenue for the Federal Government between January and August 2023.In his acceptance speech, he hinted that he came ready for the uneasy task of collecting all revenue due to the government and promote a culture of compliance at the nation’s premier port of Apapa.It was on this note that he beckon on his officers and men to work hard to achieve the federal government mandate placed on them. Comptroller Jaiyeoba, who until recently was in charge of Oyo/Osun Command, solicited the cooperation of officers and port users to sustain the impressive revenue records achieved by ACG Mohammed while he served as Area Controller before his recent elevation to Assistant Comptroller General Technical Services at Customs Headquarters.The achievements of Comptroller Babajide Jaiyeoba at Oyo/Osun will definitely be replicated at Apapa command.

EMENIKE ON THE WAY TO RESTORING THE DIGNITY OF ANLCA

By Okey IROEGBU 

The long expected peace in Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) is finally here with the election of Emenike Nwokeoji as the national president of the association. As a means of restoring the dignity of the foremost freight forwarding association in an official inauguration of the National Executive Committee (NECOM) of the Association was marked by pageantry, as key players in the maritime sector, as well as Customs brokers across graced the occasion.Prior to the inauguration this media was reliably informed by the Special Assistant to the

ANLCA President on Media, Alhaji Ayokunle Sulaiman, that the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Wale Adeniyi would be the Special Guest of Honor at event. He also confirmed that guests from all over West African nations including Liberia, Ghana, Togo among others have arrived Lagos for the day’s event.The former Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers Council, Barr Hassan Bello was also expected to deliver the lecture of the day, while the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports

Authority (NPA) Mohammed Bello-Koko and other maritime industry creme-d’ la creme are expected to be in attendance.The Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi was represented by the Assistant Comptroller General Zone ‘A’ ACG Bello Jibo who expressed confidence in the caliber and character of the newly elected NECOM members, as he said

“The service has a great confidence in the caliber of persons that are going to drive this association to a higher level. We are ready to synergize with you, we are readily available for regular consultations in order to ensure success in our operations. With this executives, our already existing relationship would become stronger and better”The former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dakuku Peterside was the chairman of the occasion. Speaking at the function, he called on all maritime stakeholders and regulatory agencies to support the newly elected executives headed by   Emenike Nwokeoji. He reiterated the need for the Nigeria Customs Service to support ANLCA members by making concessions and ensure that the association regain its pride of place.“The partnership between ANLCA and customs is like a marriage that can never be divorced. As for Customs, ANLCA is your wife in this marriage, and you must be a good husband, support them, make concessions where you need to. Your regulatory powers does not mean you should suppress them, it means you should encourage them to succeed.“You must have the trust and understanding of members of this association, it is when we are honest, humble, accommodating, when we don’t know the difference between South East, South West, North, South South, we treat everyone equally, that is when you can earn our respect and trust, we would give them to you and you shall succeed.“Leaders in this part of the world, take advantage of their position, instead of serving others, they oppress others. But, i know you as a knight of the church, a man who fears God, you will not use your position to oppress anyone but to advance our common interests and reputation and strength of this association, by doing so, even our friends from Customs would respect our members and support them.“Leadership is not an easy task, people will abuse you, they would insult you, they would tell lies, but I want to beg you to be tolerant. In the African parlance, they say a leader is a dustbin“Let me appeal to the members, we have passed through enough crisis, let us all rally round the President and ensure that

ANLCA becomes stronger, respected, reputable and enjoy support of all regulators in the industry.“There is strength in unity and we are greater together, let bygone be bygone so that government of Nigeria would respect us the more.The executive are counting on our succeed” Dakuku statedOn his own contribution, the Chairman Board of Trustees of ANLCA, Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha charged the ANLCA President, saying “Whatever we have lost in the last five years, we need to regain it as fast as we could. From today on, you must know that ego should be a thing of the past, be open to everyone, irrespective of whichever divide they are coming from.“Haven known you as a gentleman with wisdom and sagacity, I know that you would weather the storm and bring ANLCA back to its limelight,” he concludes.Responding, the ANLCA National President, Emenike Nwokeoji noted that following the five years crisis the association suffered, it is now time to come together to chart a new course of relevance for the association.“It is in the light of this that I, and other members of my executive, seek the support of you – our mutual and common-stakeholders, in the pursuit of a mutually beneficial collaboration and partnership, in this arduous, but not impossible, task of leading ANLCA back to National and International reckoning.“We intend to hereafter reach out to all the stakeholders to synergize on issues bordering on the advancement of the Maritime and Aviation industry, and infact, on National Policy issues as it affects our subsector, in order to present a formidable, common front.“To ANLCA members, I must thank all of you for your resilience, perseverance, understanding and patience, during the crisis, so much so, that you never fell for the cajoling of other associations to join them, by departing ANLCA for theirs.“The NECOM election at Federal Palace Hotel was lost by both contending parties but, won by all ANLCA members. Building on our Restoration mantra, we have done so much within so short a period in stabilizing the ship of our great Association. Peace and unity is most paramount than ever before.“After years of doldrums, we should avoid divisions and work in harmony to collectively protect our common heritage before others, particularly foreigners, will shove us behind.“Once again let’s close ranks with sister associations and collectively rescue our profession from outsiders masquerading as Clearing Agents or Customs Brokers before it’s too late” he said

DC KOLADE AND OTHERS ATTEND GLOBAL ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE IN NEW DELHI, INDIA

By Okey IROEGBU 

The media could not write much on the recent Global Conference on Cooperation in Enforcement matters which has in attendance top echelon of the Nigeria Customs Enforcement cadre recently in India. It was during a recent press briefing that the Customs Area Controller of Federal Operations Unit, Zone 'A', DC Hussein Kehinde Ejibunu commented that the conference which had Nigerian delegation as the only Africans had more than 75 delegates whose countries are members of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) taking part in the 3-day high powered session in New Delhi Nigeria Customs Service delegation was led by DCG, E, I&I,

Mohammed Abba- kura while others are the CAC of Federal Operations Units, Zones ‘A’ Ikeja, DC Ejibunu and the CAC of FOU, Zone C, Owerri, Kayode Rasheed Kolade. Over 40 Custom Administrations/Organizations participated in the inaugural Global Conference on Cooperation in Enforcement Matters GCCEM. Information reaching this media confirmed that the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) under Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), in consultation with World Customs Organisation (WCO), Brussels hosted the global conference which held from 30th October to 1st November 2023 with the theme “It takes a Network to fight a Network.” The aim of the international conference is to facilitate sharing of insights, best practices and to serve as a catalyst for enhancing collaboration with Indian Customs’ partner Administrations and for building new partnerships. The WCO also collaborated with Indian Customs to ensure wide participation by Member Administrations and international organizations, including WCO’s Regional Intelligence Liaison Offices (RILOs) and senior representations from the WCO Secretariat. At the invitation of India’s Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, WCO Secretary General, participated in the (GCCEM), hosted by the CBIC in New Delhi, India. The WCO was instrumental in developing the conference’s programme, highlighting its dedication to enhancing collaborative efforts in global customs enforcement. The conference opened with a keynote address by H.E. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance of India. The Minister highlighted the urgent need to combat various forms of illicit trade by leveraging collective wisdom and collaborative efforts. Dr. Mikuriya drew upon the G20 India’s overarching theme of “One Planet, One Family, One Future” and elaborated on how the Customs community could contribute to this vision by sharing knowledge, strengthen networking and prepare for the future generation. He talked about the evolving trade landscape, focusing on digitalization, data analytics, e-commerce, and underscored the need to strengthen inter-agency and cross-sectorial collaboration in data exchange and risk management. Over the course of the three-day conference, the GCCEM addressed a broad spectrum of emerging risks, including narcotics trafficking, tobacco smuggling, wildlife trade, money laundering, and innovative methods employed in disrupting supply chains and exploiting e-commerce platforms. The discussions, reflecting the sub-theme “It takes a network to fight a network”, provided a valuable platform for participants from various regions to share knowledge and experience and engaged in networking. In a series of high-level bilateral engagements, Dr. Mikuriya sought to reinforce and extend partnerships. Notably, in his meeting with Ms. Ivonne Higuero, CITES Secretary-General, there was a mutual commitment to further enhance cooperation in the framework of ICCWC (International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime). His dialogue with Mr. Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, Chairman of CBIC, covered a broad array of pressing issues. Dr. Mikuriya expressed gratitude for Mr. Agarwal’s support in enhancing the WCO CEN visualization and the Data and Statistics Working Group, and explored further avenues for continued and expanded cooperation. According to the Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman who presided as Chief Guest of the inaugural session of the first ever three-day-long global conference, “the first Global Conference on Cooperation in Enforcement Matters (GCCEM) will benefit world economy through networking and collaborative effort by the law enforcement agencies.” He further acknowledged that the origin of the GCCEM lay in the suggestion made in her last year address at the Inaugural function of DRI Foundation Day in 2022, emphasizing on the importance of greater cooperation and collaboration among international enforcement agencies for timely intelligence sharing. The Union Finance Minister observed that Customs has two important facets, which are Facilitation and Enforcement, these should be the core functions of Customs and enforcement agencies. She suggested that officers must remain dedicated, make use of technology, share information and actionable intelligence with domestic and international agencies to create deterrence to illicit trade and Transnational Syndicates. The experience of agencies would show the direction and path to curb the evils in international trade.

Smt. Sitharaman also acknowledged the role of World Customs Organisation in anchoring the sharing of knowledge between Customs enforcement agencies across the world and emphasized brainstorming into the requirement of further legislative and procedural improvements in various countries for fighting the menace of illicit trade. In his address on the occasion, Union Minister of State for Finance Shri Pankaj Chaudhary mentioned the challenges of the faster and newer developments in technology, including use of Artificial Intelligence. Shri Chaudhary emphasized that in the era of

Artificial intelligence, the importance of intelligence sharing and increased collaboration amongst international agencies is more relevant. Also on the occasion, Shri Sanjay Malhotra, Secretary, Department of Revenue, Government of India, stated the economic effects of smuggling as also it’s social and national security ramifications. Shri Malhotra mentioned that the fast-evolving modern digital world has blurred the boundaries of nation states and has created a daunting challenge for enforcement agencies across the world. Shri Malhotra laid stress on the requirement of maintaining a balance between enforcement and trade facilitation which are important for ease of trade, increasing competitiveness and reducing cost to customer.While, Shri M.K. Singh, Principal Director General, DRI, gave vote of thanks to all the guests and delegates along with the team of officials and staff of CBIC for making the event possible.The knowledge acquired are already reflecting in the level of anti-smuggling operations here in Nigeria. The approach to the yuletide that is associated with serious smuggling has drastically reduced. On illicit drug smuggling which was on the rise recently were seriously dealt with.

   

THE HARVEST IS MUCH

"Answering the call is a duty that must be fulfilled or we could find ourselves like the case of Jonah. Answering the call is the only way to assist in the great harvest (Matthew 9:37, Luke 10:2). It is already instructive to would be men and women of God that “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.”

That was part of my speech during my graduation at Gateway Bible College and Seminary Benin city on Saturday 18th November 2023 where I came out as the overall best graduating student by His grace. 

On Friday 24th November 2023, my younger sister Pastor (Mrs.) Ngozi Finny Abraham just graduated also from the prestigious TREM Bible College. 

This was celebrated with the Bible book of Collosians 4:17 where Apostle Paul says to Achippus to take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.

I thank God for His blessings to me and my entire family as I urge you to put us in prayers as we step forward to answer this call. God bless you all in Jesus name, Amen. 

OJINMA LED ANLCA SEME EXECUTIVES MEETS WITH COMPTROLLER BOMODI.

Onyekachi Ojinma led executives and critical stakeholders of Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Seme border Chapter paid a courtesy call to the Customs Area Controller of Seme border command,  Comptroller Timi Bomodi, yesterday Tuesday, November 21, 2023.

Details of the close door discussion would be made available after the

Association's general meeting which is scheduled to take place at the Secretariat tomorrow, Thursday, November 23, 2023.

The Chapter chairman, Onyekachi Ojinma confirmed that they met with the Area Controller and made some requests to move the area further for trade facilitation. 

THE HARVEST IS MUCH…(A VALEDICTORY SPEECH ON THE 19TH GRADUATION CEREMONY OF GATEWAY BIBLE COLLEGE AND SEMINARY)

By Okey IROEGBU 

Protocols

What has a beginning would always have an ending. We have gathered here to celebrate a happy ending which did not come without dents of hard work, perseverance and diligence. The roles the Spiritual Leader, Apostle SN Ogbu, who at a point came to the podium to lecture us, Director of Education, Apostle J A Jacobson, the Rector, Staff Pastor Elohor E Eniwore and

the other lecturers played to the realization of this cannot be overemphasized. I therefore use this opportunity to thank all of them. In the beginning it looked like the journey might have started very late for some of us but the consolation came from the bible book of Matthew 20:1-16 where labourers were hired in the morning, some in the afternoon and later others were hired in the evening. At the end, they were all paid equal wages. It therefore came as a revelation to me and many others here that it is “the fulfilment of all righteousness.” In the face of John's reluctance to baptize Jesus (Matt. 3:14), Jesus said, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” If Jesus and John will together do all that God has determined to be right for them why can’t we do the same by answering the call. Answering the call is a duty that must be fulfilled or we could find ourselves like the case of Jonah. Answering the call is the only way to assist in the great harvest (Matthew 9:37, Luke 10:2). It is already instructive to would be men and women of God that “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.” The Gateway Bible College and Seminary with the endorsement of St. Joseph’s Chosen Church of God is asking us today to go as workers to do this marvelous harvest. It is a task that must be done as God in His infinite mercies has decreed this with terms and conditions. One of such terms and conditions is that our Lord Jesus is assuring us to “Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. When you enter a house, first say, “Peace be to this house.” If a man of

peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages.  (Luke 10:3-7) There are much ignorance in our society today and in law it cannot be an excuse. Many are wallowing in sin simply because nobody has ever talked to them as regards to their ways of life and living. It was on this note also that the words of God in Romans 10:14-15 says “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Today marks the beginning of our duties to go to every available corner that is lacking in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. On behalf of the graduating student of this great commission, the Gateway Bible College and Seminary, I will assure you that this set has been fortified with the Dunamis and spiritual awareness required by every soldier of Christ. The Online class is today a unification of members despite the distance between Nigeria with France and Italy where most of our students are. It created a lot of companionship which kept reminding us of the fact on Psalm 133:1 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” All these did not come without challenges. There were challenges in the area of Network problems as regards Nigerian network providers. Many man hours were lost in the process of getting these fixed. Another area was on the number of courses we were exposed to, compared to the certificate awarded. Honestly most of us worked as if we were pursuing a PhD certificate which to my estimation is worth it. Thank God, the college is today affiliated with Bible Impart University, USA. We will therefore be willing to read further as God provides.My experience during the May 2023 Refresher Course shows that, there is the need to establish regional outreach/satellite centers attached to bigger stations/Churches like Osapa London in Lagos and 28 Ekwuruke Street in Umuahia to carry out such responsibilities for these distance students. Finally on this, there is a great need to upgrade the institute structurally. I therefore beckon on the Spiritual leader to take up the challenge of motivating for the finishing of the permanent site for the college.I would at this point as I round up want to delve into the “mutable and immutable” rules and regulations of the church. A popular proverb says “what is there in a name,” that a Rose flower with any other name apart from Rose will still blossom.” This is true but in the case of the name “St. Joseph’s Chosen Church of God,” this has continued to be a subject of an explanation at every mention of it to a stranger. There are always responses like “is it a Catholic Church or Anglican.” There may not be a need for a change, but a notch also known as (aka) could be introduced like the Gateway Ministries. Others are using it, for an example, not many can remember the real name of “Winners” which is “Living

Faith Church.”If this idea is acceptable, the future generation would enjoy it as it will be a gateway to miracles and salvation. I finally would use this opportunity to beckon on our set to exhibit all the absolute approaches to the expansion of the great harvest which cannot take place without the powers to heal, teach and prophesy.God bless us, in Jesus name, Amen. 

ALL HAIL THE KNIGHT OF JOHN WESLEY

By Okey IROEGBU 

Sir Kingsley Uwa Nkume over the time has made himself an enigma in every endeavor he founds himself. The prince who started with golden spoon in his mouth maintained such opportunity bestowed on him by his hard working parents during his childhood at Enugu. It was on this note that he will easily remind you that “ogui anagi agba boy,” simply translated to mean that boys who grew in that neighborhood do not serve any master as they are well to do. Prince Nkume no doubt was pampered by his parents among which was giving him a good education. Like every adult of his time he travelled to Lagos which was the economic hub of the nation and was gainfully employed where he rose to the position of Financial Director before venturing into his own company; Nexus Nig. Ltd which was into the production of beverage drinks. His administrative prowess finally led him into Nigerian politics on retirement. He rose to the chairman of conference of opposition parties before he became a darling and a material seriously sought after by the Peoples’ Democratic Party. He got to the position of Executive Secretary of Ikwuano Local Government Council where he served under the leadership of Ezinne Ngozi Oji. Prince Nkume is a man of many parts as he plays every role perfectly as if they were designed just for him. In the Amala, he cannot be bye passed in decision making. In politics, whatever decision taken in his absence would be redone on his arrival. In the church he is an obedient servant and this is why this honour is eulogized by everybody around him. According to our Dede, his strength apart from God

Almighty is his wife Lady Nma Nkume. It could be noted that he was recently honoured with conferment award of KNIGHT OF JOHN WESLEY by His Eminence, Dr. Oliver Ali Aba, the Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria on Monday, October 30, 2023. Sir (Prince) Kingsley Uwa Nkume, the Baggage Magazine rejoices with others in celebration of this honour.

OUR REVIEWED STRATEGIES HAVE BEEN PAYING OFF - Ejibunu

By Okey IROEGBU

The Customs Area Controller of the Unit which made seizures which amounts to N1,241,777,700 in duty paid value reiterated on their resolve to bring smuggling to the barest minimum. In what might serve as a note of warning to the desperation of these economic saboteurs to increase their tempo during every yuletide period, the Customs boss DC Hussein Kehinde warned them to keep off his way.He did not minced words stating that their

reviewed strategies have been paying off as reflected in the seizures they made in the month of October 2023. He promised that these intelligence would be continually used by the Unit to achieve results.“We are ready to intercept them and frustrate their antics of concealment, illegal route passage, false

declaration, and under declaration. In addition, we are also determined to implement all the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, including the various penalties attached to offences while striving to ensure that perpetrators face the full wrath of the laws.“In our continuous quest to prevent revenue loss through various infractions such as; under-valuation, under-payments, and wrong classification, the sum of N115,456,534.94 was collected following the issuance of demand notices to defaulters,” he saidThese pronouncement were made at the headquarters of the Unit at Ikeja Lagos on Tuesday,

November 7, 2023 shortly after the weekly meeting of the unit, during a press briefing.“As I have always stated, the Federal Operations Unit Zone A is sustaining its resolve to protect the Nigeria’s economy by enforcing the anti-smuggling laws in an uncompromising manner. Just as intelligence reports gathered over the years indicated a higher degree of desperation by economic saboteurs to smuggle during the yuletide periods.“While noting this challenge, we have fully deployed the improved logistics supplied by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir A Adeniyi; provided support for our officers with strategic manpower placements to achieve our ongoing drive to suppress smuggling,” he said.During the inspection of these seizure, it could be observed that rice were at every available space in the over filled warehouses of the unit at Ikeja. This is already calling for a serious need for a spacious accommodation for proper storage of some of these perishable items.“Rice has been a recurring commodity in our list of seizures across various borders in the southwest zone. We were able to seize a total of 7,381 units of 50kg foreign parboiled rice from smugglers. This amounts to almost thirteen trailer loads of rice,” he said.Other notable items seized by the Unit which littered their premises are a total of seventeen vehicles seized from smugglers who wanted to circumvent the law by evading duty payment. He used this opportunity to also inform the public that the ban on vehicle importation through land borders is still in force.Other items seized are, 593 jerrycans (14,825 litres) of premium motor spirit, 657 pieces of used tyres, 167 (202 kg) parcels of Indian hemp, 39 bales of second hand-clothing, 100 packs of tomato ketchup, 4 units of used motorcycle, 600 cartons of GIV soap and 730 sacks of hide and skin hidden in a 1x40 container equivalent to 5,033 pieces.As usual the seizures did not just take effect without the apprehension of some of the culprits. The Customs Area Controller said that nine (9) suspected smugglers were arrested in connection to some of the seizures. Meanwhile the Unit has previously arraigned two suspects, Walu Oladeji and Lateef Odugbemi, for felony. The suspects were arraigned at the Federal High Court sitting at Ibadan on recently on a four-count charge; Obstruction to duty, shooting, and assault on an Officer on duty, amounting to Felony punishable under section 516 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38 laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.DC Ejibunu finally appealed “to all well-meaning and patriotic Nigerians to continue to support the Unit with credible information that will assist in battling economic sabotage. I also urge members of the press to always support us by using their position to discourage smuggling and any act that contravenes the customs law,” he concludes.