JBPT Makes N1.3b Worth Of Seizures In 2 Months, Arrests 15 Suspects
By Babatunde Aremu
The Joint Border Patrol Team Sector 2, South-West Zone, Lagos has made seizures of smuggled items worth N1,381,030,400 and arrested 15 suspects between July and August 2024.
Reports say The team also seized 4,019 jerry cans of 30 litres premium motor spirit from smugglers within a week.
Briefing journalists in Lagos, the Coordinator of the team Deputy Comptroller Mohammed Salisu Shuaibu told newsmen that the seizures are a fallout of intensive anti smuggling activities across various border areas in the South Western States of Nigeria.
Shuaibu said the onslaught against smugglers has achieved tremendous success going by the number of interceptions of prohibited items made He disclosed that in addition to the seizures,the team has achieved generating revenues through additional payments and auction sales with the proceeds remitted into the federation account accordingly.
He said further that a total of N31,382,000 was made into government coffers from auction Giving a breakdown of the items seized which were deposited into the 6 Government Warehouses (GWH’s) across the sector, Shuaibu listed 2,633 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice;868 jumbo bales of used clothing;790 pieces of 100ml codeine syrup; 338 sacks or artificial raisins and 154 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa.
Other items seized include 135 sacks of used footwear; cars; motorcycles and other items He said the team also prevented illegal migration and made arrest of persons handed to Nigeria Immigration Service for further processes
In his words,
“Together with the Nigeria Immigration Service being a critical component of the Joint Border Patrol Team, we intercepted One Hundred and Twenty Five (125) Person Refused Entry, Eleven (11) Person Refused Departure, Eighteen (18) Trafficking in person and Two (2) Suspected Trafficking Agents who violated Immigration laws and were immediately handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service for further investigation and prosecution where necessary.
“The Sector also recovered a total of Twenty Six Million One Hundred and Thirty One Thousand Two Hundred and Sixty Naira (N 26,131,260) only Revenue through the issuance of Debit Notes (DN) on vehicles and other goods were underpaid.
Continuing, “JBPT Sector 2 is not relenting in its efforts of combating smuggling activities and illegal migrants that are undermining our national security. “While the federal government is committed to ensuring the availability of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to the citizenry. It is disheartening to know that some notorious smugglers are bent on smuggling the products to the neighboring countries for their selfish gain. These groups of unpatriotic citizens will have us to contend with, as the Sector has deployed intelligence to apprehend offenders” he said
He calls on all stakeholders such as traditional rulers, religious bodies and youth leaders to sensitise their subjects against smuggling activities which destroy the nation’s economy, undermine the national security and transfer employment to other nations.