The Coordinator, Joint Border Patrol Team, JBPT, Sector 3, Comptroller Olugboyega Peters disclosed penultimate week that men of the Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT) North Central Zone ,Sector 3 , Ilorin have stopped bid to smuggle 1,040 bags of rice ( 50kg ) into the country.
He submitted that the JBPT will continue to ‘stop’ those who try to find ways to ‘sneak‘ things across the border and will continue its efforts to combat smuggling and irregular migration.
Peters, who gleefully announced 43 seizures in 18 days added that this was achieved by a Patrol team comprising Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Immigration Service, DSS, Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Air force, Office of National Security Adviser and the Nigerian Intelligence Agency.
He said the fight against smuggling activities in the North Central will continue to receive a sustained momentum that will lead to more seizures and enforcement of Federal Government policies/directives towards curtailing smuggling activities while urging those who engage in illicit and illegal businesses to desist from such and rather endeavour to engage in legitimate businesses.
The JBPT Coordinator also asserted that ‘border closure’ has yielded positive results.
‘It has resulted in reduction in respect of smuggling and entry of illegal migrants. We have got an improved agricultural sector as most farmers have been smiling to the banks.
Daily Revenue Generation of the Nigeria Customs Service into the federation account has equally increased.
The exercise has promoted inter-agency cooperation and increased preparedness to address trans-border security challenges such as terrorism, armed banditry, smuggling, proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
We have recorded increased consumption of local products while flash points for smuggling in the country have been decimated.
The tripartite agreement between Nigeria, Niger, and Benin Republic has led to increased cooperation between security agencies of the aforementioned countries’, he said.
Peters disclosed that 13 ‘modified vehicles’ were intercepted and stopped from transporting and smuggling bags of rice into the country at Okuta, Baruten local government while used vehicles and goods were also seized at Mokwa-Jebba and Gwanara.
‘The utilization of cutting edge strategies in our anti-smuggling efforts led to a single catch (in one Night) of convoy comprising 13 pick-up vans carefully, technically and locally fabricated for the purpose of smuggling activities. They were all loaded with bags of foreign par boiled rice (50kg).
There were four vehicles carrying 79 bags of rice each –Total– 316. Two (2) vehicles had 85 bags of rice each –Total– 170 .
There were also 2 other vehicles transporting 77 bags of rice each –Total– 154. Five vehicles were also conveying 80 bags of rice each- Total– 400.
This brings the number of the bags of foreign par boiled rice (50kg) to 1,040 classifiable under chapter 1006 of Common External Tariff with duty Paid Value (DPV) of N19, 448,000.
We have also recorded 43 seizures at Mokwa-Jebba, Gwanara, Okuta and other axis of the Sector in 18 days .
These include-:
23 Units of used vehicles
1,274 bags of foreign par boiled rice
One locally made gun, a pistol and 8 cartridges
9 Drums of AGO
242 Jerri cans of PMS
7 Motorcycles
7 Jerri Cans of 25litres of groundnut oil
The Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the Seized is N 61,002,800.
Five suspects were apprehended in connection with the locally made pistol and cartridges. They are illegal immigrants and were handed over to the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Immigration Service on the 25th March, 2021’, he said.
