A two-man syndicate that specialises in forging Customs clearing documents has been apprehended in their abode in the Idiroko area of Ogun State.
The Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’, Acting Comptroller Hussein Ejibunu disclosed this at the monthly Press Briefing in, Lagos.
According to him, a suspect was initially arrested with forged documents of a 2007 Mercedes-Benz along Ajilete-Idiroko road and upon in-depth investigation, the syndicate was arrested with over six hundred (600) pictures of Vehicles domiciled in the Benin Republic awaiting forged clearing process.
“Though the Kingpin is at large, we caught them in the act at their house in Idiroko, they were cloning Customs documents for about 600 Vehicles to be brought into Nigeria. There are lots of evidence and intelligence that will be used against them in Court, I have their remand order till the case will be concluded.”
They smuggle cars through unapproved routes and forge the papers for unsuspecting Nigerians, if you want to buy a Vehicle even those at car mats, take the document to any Customs formation and confirm the authenticity so you don’t fall prey.” Ejibunu advised.
Items recovered from the Suspects include; Fake Customs valuation stamp, Fake Customs Duty Chart Book on vehicles, Fake Customs documents and vehicle registration documents, Four Computer monitors, and three processing units with keyboard and Printer.
Similarly, a physically challenged man and his accomplice were arrested with local charms for assault on the Operatives along Owoyele Igbogila road of Ogun State.
The Suspects who were found with various types of charms smuggled over fifty bags of foreign parboiled rice in a used Mazda car and assaulted the Officers, with the intention to disappear.
“They attacked one of my Officers with a charmed horsewhip, they had the effrontery to attack lawful Officers, despite being physically challenged, he has charms all over his body, and they have been charged to Court.” He said.
Notable among the wares seized in February 2023 for non-compliance with the extant Customs laws include; 5,328 x 50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice (equivalent to 9 trailer loads), 1 x 40 ft container said to contain 512 cartons of generators (on detention for false declaration), 1 x 40 ft container said to contain 2,298 cartons of half gasoline engines (on detention for false declaration).
Others are 29,875 liters of premium motor spirit (PMS), 283 cartons of foreign frozen poultry products, 75 kilograms of cannabis sativa, 5 units of foreign-used vehicles, and 1x 40 ft container said to contain charcoal meant for export
All have a duty paid value of Five Hundred and One Million, Four Hundred and Sixty Thousand, Eight Hundred and Seventy-Five Naira (N501,460,875).
The Unit also prevented revenue loss through under-valuation, under-payments, and wrong classification to the tune of One Hundred and Three Million, Six Hundred and Four Thousand, Two Hundred and Ninety- Seven Naira, Thirty-Two Kobo (N103,604,297.32) by the issuance of demand notices to defaulters.
