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Customs Intercepts ‘COVID-19 Vehicle’ Smuggling Poultry Products in Ogun

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COVID-19 Vehicle Smuggling Poultry Product Caught By Nigeria Customs
The Federal Operations Unit of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted a vehicle with Covid-19 sticker used to smuggle frozen chicken into the country.

“COVID-19 Vehicle” Smuggling Poultry Product Caught By Nigeria Customs

Intercepts N12.7bn Smuggled Vehicles, Rice, Others In Four Months

The Federal Operations Unit of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted a vehicle with Covid-19 sticker used to smuggle frozen chicken into the country.

The unit also intercepted various items of contraband worth N12.7billion between January to April 2020.

Smuggling of Poultry Products by a Braded "COVID-19 Vehicle"

Smuggling of Poultry Products by a Braded “COVID-19 Vehicle” – Intercepted by FOU

In a press statement by the Public Relations Officer of the unit, Jerry Attah, the customs said it’s officers intercepted the vehicle operating under the guise of essential duty while smuggling cartons of frozen chicken into the country from the Benin Republic.

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Attah who quoted the Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the unit, Usman Yahaya said the vehicle was arrested along Ijebu Ode Expressway

He also disclosed that they were intercepted based on intelligence and tact of its eagle eyes officers who were on routine patrol along the axis.

The CAC said, “the officers were professional enough to intercept the vehicle which was believed to be used in the movement of essential commodities but were surprised to see that it was used for illegal activities such as movement of contraband.

“We have arrested the vehicle and investigation has commenced to get to the root and unravel other atrocities that may have been committed using the ensential duty tag.”

Also speaking on the activities of the command in the last four months, the CAC said contraband worth N12.7 billion were intercepted from smugglers between January to April 2020

According to him, the unit also paid a whopping N1.14 billion into the Treasury Single Account of the federal government from Debit Note (DN) on intercepted containers from Lagos seaport, voluntary payment of Customs duty on vehicles, auction sales from seized Premium Motor Spirit among others

A Closer Look at the Pasted COVID-19 Sticker on the Vehicle that Smuggled the Poultry Product Intercepted by Nigeria Customs Service - FOU

A Closer Look at the Pasted COVID-19 Sticker on the Vehicle that Smuggled the Poultry Product Intercepted by Nigeria Customs Service – FOU

Giving a break down of the seizures, he said 25 units of fairly used vehicles worth N108million, 5,644 cartons of frozen chicken worth N54.1million were intercepted.

Also seized during the period under review are 9,843 bags of 50kg smuggled parboiled rice worth N130.4 million and sacks of textile materials worth N94million.

Others are, N14million worth of used tyre, 3,764 kegs of smuggled vegetable oil worth N69.2 million, 8,365 litres of smuggled petrol also known as (PMS) and AGO also known as Diesel worth N35million.

The Customs boss said, “We wont relent on our anti-smuggling fight especially at this time the government is preaching diversification into the agric sector due to the fall in price of oil in the international market which has affected government revenue base.”

“We will ensure that smuggling is reduced to the nearest minimum and not allowed to fester as that could be injurious to our economy and wellbeing as a country,” he said.

The FOU A is an anti-smuggling arm of the service saddled with the responsibility of suppressing smuggling in the six states of the South-West.

 

Full View of the Vehicle which "COVID-19 Vehicle was branded - Intercepted by the Nigeria Customs Service

Full View of the Vehicle which “COVID-19 Vehicle was branded – Intercepted by the Nigeria Customs Service

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First Batch of Fleeing Nigerians Arrive from Ukraine

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No fewer than 427 Nigerians based in Ukraine arrived Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja on Friday Morning.

 

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They arrived en route Romania via Max Air.

This is according to an update by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) on its Twitter handle.

The passengers, numbering over 400 from Romania, landed at the private jet terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport by 7:10 am (WAT) via a Max Air flight on Friday. They are mostly students who fled Ukraine to Romania following Russia’s invasion of the Eastern European country.

They were reportedly received by government officials and are expected to undergo documentation after which they will head home and self-isolate in line with the COVID-19 protocols. The Federal Government said they will be given some money to enable them to get to their destinations.

Friday’s flight, which was billed to arrive a day earlier, was delayed as the Federal Government cited a hitch in preparing passengers for the check-in process.

Asides Romania, the pickup flights will evacuate Nigerians from Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary.

Officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had earlier said about 5, 000 Nigerians are eligible for evacuation from the warring region. The country will spend $8.5m on the exercise.

Other flights are expected to arrive in the country in the coming days as nations battle to evacuate their citizens.

Already, several African countries had moved their citizens, mainly students, from the conflict zone. Ghana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa were among the first set of nations to evacuate their citizens amid reports of racism by Ukrainian and Polish officials at the border posts.

 

Read Also: Ex-service Chiefs Arrived Senate For Ambassadorial Screening

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FG approves $8.5 Million for Evacuation of Nigerians in Ukraine

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The federal government has approved $8.5m dollars to the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Humanitarian, Disaster Management, and Social Development, towards the evacuation of over 5,000 (registered and unregistered) Nigerians stranded in Ukraine.

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Zubairu Dada the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, made the disclosure on Wednesday, noting that three aircraft would be dispatched to four countries.

Dada noted that the pickup flights would be headed to Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania. Two flights from Air Peace and one from Max Air are expected to carry out the evacuation exercise.

He assured that all agencies are fully resourced to ensure that aircraft leave on Wednesday to begin the evacuation. He informed that the flights will embark on a number of shifts until the process is complete.

 

Read Also: FG EVACUATES 241 NIGERIANS FROM CHINA

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FG to Begin Evacuation of Nigerians from Ukraine Tomorrow

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The federal government said the first batch of air-lifting of Nigerian citizens trapped in the war-torn Ukraine is now scheduled to take place Wednesday March 2.

 

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Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House, stated this on Monday during a meeting with Geoffery Onyeama, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in Abuja,
The evacuation, earlier planned for Monday, was rescheduled for Wednesday to give enough room for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the House of Representatives and the Nigerian foreign missions in Ukraine, Poland and Russia to complete the formalities of moving Nigerians from inside Ukraine to safe borders with neighboring countries.
The House of representative vowed to give every needed support to the ministry to kick-start the evacuation.

 

Read Also: Nigeria Urges Citizens in Ukraine to Protect Themselves

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