The Nigeria Customs Service has declared that it has constitutional right to raid any shop or warehouse suspected to harbour smuggled goods in the country.
This defence is coming days after crisis erupted in Sango Otta, Ogun State, over the Customs raid on some shops suspected to be dealing in smuggled goods.
The Customs Area Comptroller for Oyo and Osun Area Command, Temitope Ogunkua, while speaking with journalists on the achievements of the command in the last quarter of 2016 and 2017, maintained that there is no action taken by Customs officers without the backing of the law.
Citing section 147 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1990, Ogunkua said officers of the service are well empowered to embark on raiding at any time, anywhere and that the fact that they don’t do that regularly does not mean they lack the power to.
Ogunkua, also disclosed that the command has recorded a significant feat despite the economic challenges, noting that many seizures amounting to 14.9 billion Naira within the months of January to December in 2016.
He reiterated the determination of the command to contribute her quota to national development through income generation.
He disclosed that “the command has made a total of 18 seizures with duty paid value of 20.9 million Naira. Apart from these, another seizure of almost 9,000 bags of imported rice with duty paid value of 88.9 million Naira was arrested and evacuated in a ware house in conjunction with the Federal Operations Unit zone A.
“Am using this medium to reiterate the commitment of this command to contribute its quota as it plays a strategic role of revenue collection, trade facilitation and border security”.
Ogunkua also emphasised the fact that the ban on importation of rice and fairly used vehicles through the land borders, is still in force as his command is committed to enforcing this to the latter.