The Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun 1 Area Command, has impounded 23 trailers including Dangote trucks allegedly loaded with the foreign rice, hidden within bags of cement.

The Area Controller, Bamidele Makinde, disclosed this at a press briefing held in idi-Iroko, Ipokia Local Government, Ogun State, on the achievements of the command in the third quarter of the year.

While speaking on the Dangote trucks seized, Makinde said preliminary findings have shown that the trucks were not owned by the company, but were being operated by individuals who transport cement on franchise agreement with the company.

He said “these people you see smuggling with trucks with Dangote imprinted on them are not real Dangote trucks. They are not owned by the company, but they operate under a franchise agreement.”

The customs boss listed the command’s seizures, saying, 11,358 bags of smuggled foreign rice of 50kg each, which is about 38 trailer loads; three trucks loaded with 513 bags of smuggled rice intercepted during anti-smuggling operations along Obada axis and Ibese/Itori road, Yewa-North Local Government Area of Ogun State.

He added “the command recorded seizures of 1,550 pieces of used tyres and 180 bales of used clothings in a warehouse situated along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State.

“Details of other seizures and their DPVs are 227 seizures, comprising 16 units of vehicles used as means of conveyance; two units of used vehicles (Tokunbo); 2,706 kegs (67,650 Litres) of Premium Motor Spirit, eight units of motorcycles (Means of Conveyance),” Makinde explained.”

Makinde also listed other impounded items to include; 80 kegs of vegetable oil (25 liters each); 201 bales and 76 sacks of second-hand clothings; 89 bales of textile (wrapper) among others.

He further disclosed that the import duties and other revenues generated from the auction sales of petrol is N38,537,267.

The controller appealed to smugglers to get alternative legitimate business, threatening that the command will stop at nothing to ensure that the state is free of contrabands. (Saturday PUNCH)

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