NCS raises the alarm over the use of diplomatic number plates for smuggling cars

***Generates N10 million in one month as revenue

The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has expressed concern over the activities of smugglers using both government agencies and Diplomatic plate numbers to smuggle vehicles across the land borders in the country.

The Comptroller in charge of Kogi/Niger Area command of the Nigerian Customs Service, Busayo Kadejo stated this in Minna, the Niger state capital on Tuesday when he displayed 11 units of various exotic cars seized by the area command, among them is a 2019 Range Rover sport car with diplomatic plate number.

It could be recalled that the command had earlier in the year intercepted a number of smuggled vehicles bearing the plate number of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), describing the development as not only worrisome but a great security implications.

This development he said, is giving the command a serious concern due to the security implications of this new tactics being adopted by the smugglers to smuggle in second hand vehicles into the country through our land borders.

Mr. badejo who used the briefing to enumerate the successes recorded by the command in its anti-smuggling activities in the month of November alone said that a truck laden with dutiable items, jerry cans containing Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) were also intercepted by his men on patrol.

He put the Cumulative Duty Value of all the seized items to N56.6million, adding that the feet was achieved following massive deployment of intelligence and respected rule of engagement without any casualty.

Mr. Badejo equally disclosed that the command recorded N10,020,990 as revenue with the period under review, principally from Demand Notice (D/N).
He pointed out that smuggling activities in the command has been brought to a minimum level despite being the largest interland command in the country.

While commending his men for keeping their eagle eyes on smuggling activities in the command, the Comptroller pointed out that this year alone his men have intercepted and handed over 317 packages (blocks) of compressed cannabis sativa (Marijuana) weighing 253.6kg, with an estimated street value of N20,605,000  to the Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Niger state command.

In addition to this, he stated further that a truck loaded with Nigerian Railway Corporation Locomotive parts (slippers) was intercepted and handed over to the Nigerian Civil Defense Corp (NSCDC), Niger state command.

He therefore warned smugglers and other criminal elements within the command that there will be no hiding place for them, stressing that “our job is to implement the federal government’s fiscal policies and we are committed to achieving that no matter the obstacle.

“We are determined to frontally confront smugglers and our economic saboteurs whose antics we will always discover and continue to make arrests, seize and cripple their operations”.