The Niger/Kogi area command of the Nigeria Customs Service has seized eleven exotic cars and other vehicles including a smuggled Range Rover 2019 model with a Diplomatic vehicle registration number plate.
Briefing newsmen on Tuesday in Minna, the Customs Niger/Kogi Controller, Budayo Kadejo, said the Command also intercepted 317 packages of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 254.6 kilograms worth N20.6 million.
According to him, other seizures and detentions recorded at various places in November include a truck laden with dutiable items, Jerry cans containing fuel, and a truck laden with Nigerian Railway Corporation locomotive parts popularly known as slippers.
Mr Kadejo said that the cumulative duty paid value of all the seized items amounts to N56.6 million while the command was able to recover total revenue of N10 million from Demand Notices.
The Comptroller reiterated that the importation of cars through the borders without due process remains banned stressing that when duty is not paid on the vehicle or the necessary paperwork is done, it means the vehicles are smuggled.
He said: “The interception of smuggled Range Rover 2019 model with Diplomatic vehicle registration number plate with its concomitant and dangerous security implication necessitates this media briefing.
“The security implication of the use of diplomatic plates is very disturbing. If someone is kidnapped and put in this vehicle, no one would search it.
“The public need to know and security personnel need to be on alert because criminals are devising means to evade scrutiny. If my officers were not bold, they wouldn’t have been able to intercept this vehicle.
“I use this opportunity to warn smugglers and criminal elements no matter how highly placed in the society that we will not spare them. Our job is to implement the federal government’s fiscal policies.
“We are determined to frontally confront smugglers and all other economic saboteurs whose antics we will always discover and continue to make arrests, seizures and cripple their operations as we did to the owner of the seized 2019 Range Rover Land Rover illegally flying the diplomatic plate number.”
