Customs seize 26 containers of tyres at port

Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized 26 containers of tyres valued at N116.2 million by the Apapa Area1 Command of the service. The Comptroller-General, Col Hameed Ali (rtd) said this in Lagos.

The comptroller-general said that all the tyres in 16 containers were automatically seized and the law allows Customs to prosecute whoever was involved in importation of the consignments.

According to him, “We have 16 containers of new tyres on ground while 10 containers of the tyres with false declaration had been moved out of the port. We are now investigating and we will track the whereabouts of those containers. The agents had lost his fast track facility and the licence automatically.”

He explained that the company which imported the tyres had been enjoying the facility of Customs fast track in order to reduce cost and time. Ali added that the seizures were made as a result of false declaration by the agents.

He said: “Some of those materials can be perishable and this is why Customs give some factories the facility to move their containers and thereafter Customs officers will go and inspect the consignments in their factories.

“For now, there is not going to be anything like Debit Note (DN) raised for goods being identified as falsely declared.”

Ali said further that if it was discovered later that some officers were involved, such officers would be prosecuted along with the clearing agents.

He said that it had been specified in the Customs laws that seized goods would be destroyed after getting court condemnation.

The comptroller-general stressed that customs officials at Federal Operations Unit were able to arrest an agent along with the seizure.

He said that the moment an agent made an entry on any document and signed that document; such agent had taken ownership of the consignment to be cleared from ports.

Also, the Customs Area Controller of Apapa Command, Comptroller Willy Egbudin, said that the containers were falsely declared as paper board and machines for steel industry.

He said that two of the 16 containers were intercepted by the Enforcement unit of the Customs along Ikeja.

He added: “Officers discovered that the consignments were not paper board and machines but found to be tyres and one of the agents was arrested and detained.

“The agent made false declaration to evade payment of customs duties and refused the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) interception.