Tag Archives: Imported

How Building Materials Firm Imported N2bn Cocaine– NDLEA

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has confirmed that the substance found in a container imported by an Ikeja-based multinational roofing materials company (names withheld) is cocaine.

In an exclusive chat, the Head of Public Affairs of NDLEA, Mitchell Ofoyeju, said the drug was worth over N2 billion. He said that the substance weighed 214.732kg and that investigation had begun.

It will be recalled that the Tin-Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, said it discovered a substance suspected to be cocaine in one of the seven containers brought into the country by the firm. Customs Area Controller, Tin-Can Island, Comptroller Yusuf Bashir, who briefed newsmen after the arrest, had said that the substance would be forwarded to NDLEA, for proper testing.

Comptroller Yussuf said officers of the command had received intelligence report on one out of the seven containers imported by the company.

He said the other items inside the container were declared correctly, but that the sack containing the suspected drugs was not declared on the cargo manifest.

Credit:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/10/building-materials-firm-imported-n2bn-cocaine-ndlea/

Hammed Ali, customs boss says rice smuggled into Nigeria can kill

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The Comptroller-General of Customs, retired Col. Hameed Ali, says 99 per cent of rice smuggled through the land borders is not fit for human consumption.

Recall that Niger government, last week, announced subsidy on rice and other grains to encourage more local production
Ali said this at a joint news conference on illegal rice importation to Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja.

He said samples of some of the rice seizures made over a period were referred to NAFDAC to ascertain their condition.

He said the test reports certified that smuggled rice through the borders was unfit for human consumption.

“Importation of rice into the country is not banned but restricted on the point of entry to seaports only.

Ali said that during his recent trip to Benin Republic to engage with colleagues in customs on effective management of the borders, some delegations from groups came giving commitments to pay all charges applicable if customs relaxed the policy on borders.

According to him, there has been a significant increase in seizures in the first three quarter of 2016.

He said 117,034 (50kg) bags of rice seizures had been made at a duty paid value of N774.2 million.

He said customs seizures had revealed several ingenious but devilish ways of smuggling into country what Nigerians consumed as food.

“We have seen rice conveyed in open wooden canoes across our creeks and water ways with generous amount of dirty waters splashing on them.

“We have seen some mixed with other grains bags to deceive customs; some are stuffed inside any available crevice and compartments of vehicles, including the engine area.

“The concealed rice is thereafter re-bagged half cooked and presented in our markets for sale as imported rice.

“Bags of rice meant for Nigerians’ consumption (are) being conveyed in coffins inside make shift ambulance vehicles.

“Often time, importers in the borders have to wait for months for the green light from corrupt customs officials before they gamble their ways across the borders.

“Rice being a perishable product, lose valuable shelve life in non conductive strong conditions.

“We have strong evidence linking some reputable importers to cases of re-bagging expired rice to prolong their shelve life,’’ he added.

He said that promoters of the economic subterfuge were seeking a re-introduction of quota system to import 1.5 million tonnes through the entry point

“We will be waiting for them.”

Ali said that many state governments had injected massive investments in local production of rice.

He added that the Federal Government, through the intervention by CBN and Bank of Industry, was also investing to give momentum to rice revolution.

Ali said Kebbi State Government, in 2016, harvested over 700,000 tonnes from irrigation farming while 800,000 tonnes were projected from rain-fed rice farming with similar projection from other states across the country.

He said that customs was inundated with periodic intelligence about ship loads of parboiled rice that offloaded regularly in the neighbouring port of Cotonou.

Ali added that Benin Republic did not eat parboiled rice, adding that the imports were ultimately destined for Nigeria by smuggling through the land borders

He said that with the support of patriotic Nigerians, “we will not only achieve national self-sufficiency of rice in 2017 but be in pole position to clamp a total ban on its importation in the years ahead”.

90% of imported products not verified – SON

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The Standards Organisation of Nigeria has disclosed that it had no opportunity to verify 90 per cent of the products imported into the country between September and December 2015.

The Acting Director-General, SON, Dr. Paul Angya, disclosed this during a two- day capacity building workshop organised by the SON for media executives in Lagos recently.

Angya said September to December 2015 was a-three-month window that was provided for importers to be able to register on the Nigeria Customs electronic platform, Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System.

He said, “The NICIS platform allowed all stakeholders in the maritime sector to view data on shipment. But because the World Trade Organisation required that we should allow time for importers to register on the NICIS platform, we left a window of three months between September and December and issued them Electronic Provisional Clearance Certificate as an alternative.

“EPCC permitted importers to bring in their goods without the mandatory SON Conformity Assessment Programme certificates.

“But when this window of opportunity was created, criminal-minded importers took advantage of the situation and brought in substandard products which they were able to take out of the Nigerian seaports without the SON’s verification. So, between the periods of September and December 2015, 90 per cent of the goods imported into this country had no SON verification.”

Angya disclosed that after observing how importers had taken advantage of the EPCC platform to bring harmful products into the country, the agency had gone ahead to close it and as a result, the management and staff of SON are now facing threats and blackmail from importers.

“When we tried to communicate this fact, they resorted to blackmail, threatening that if we close down the EPCC platform, they will react. So we shut down the platform in July and directed that whatever they were bringing into Nigeria should go through the SONCAP regime.

“So they have now gone to the Internet to vilify SON. My staff and I have also been threatened by some of them, violently.”

Angya added that the major challenge the agency faced was being able to intercept containers right from the arrival point noting that since 90 per cent of substandard products come into Nigeria through the seaports, the absence of the SON’s agents at the ports had made the job more difficult.

He said since they were not allowed at the ports, they resolved to chase containers on the highway any time they received information that the container carried harmful goods.

“My officers who are all graduates and engineers chase trailers on the highway like touts, risking their lives to jump on trailers to try and catch them,” he stated.

Reps Move To Probe Imported Cancer-Causing Tomato Paste

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Apparently disturbed by reported importation of fake, substandard and cancer-causing tomato paste into the country the House of Representatives, on Wednesday mandated its Committees on Health Services and Drug and Narcotics to investigate the reported substandard and cancer-causing paste.

The house directed the committees to report findings back to it within three weeks for further legislative business. This was sequel to a motion under matters of urgent public importance promoted by Rep. Ossai Ossai,Delta,PDP, which was unanimously adopted by members through a voice vote. Ossai in his submission stated that there was an increase in importation of fake and substandard food into Nigeria particularly tomato paste. He expressed concern that the ugly development of importation of cancer- infested tomato paste was killing a lot of Nigerians. According to him, it is reported that this mafia group are collaborating with a few indigenous manufacturers in Nigeria who are being used as a cover-up. Ossai further said that the fake and substandard and cancer- causing tomato paste had flooded the Nigerian markets with low prices. The Delta state lawmaker further explained that this has compelled the closing down of many and genuine indigenous tomato paste processing companies in Nigeria which has resulted to retrenchment of over 50 per cent of their staff. “Section 5 subsections (a) to (e) and (I) of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control Act has given NAFDAC the onerous task of ensuring that fake and substandard food items are not found

 

He expressed concern that the ugly development of importation of cancer- infested tomato paste was killing a lot of Nigerians. According to him, it is reported that this mafia group are collaborating with a few indigenous manufacturers in Nigeria who are being used as a cover-up. Ossai further said that the fake and substandard and cancer- causing tomato paste had flooded the Nigerian markets with low prices. The Delta state lawmaker further explained that this has compelled the closing down of many and genuine indigenous tomato paste processing companies in Nigeria which has resulted to retrenchment of over 50 per cent of their staff. “Section 5 subsections (a) to (e) and (I) of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control Act has given NAFDAC the onerous task of ensuring that fake and substandard food items are not found

The house directed the committees to report findings back to it within three weeks for further legislative business. This was sequel to a motion under matters of urgent public importance promoted by Rep. Ossai Ossai,Delta,PDP, which was unanimously adopted by members through a voice vote. Ossai in his submission stated that there was an increase in importation of fake and substandard food into Nigeria particularly tomato paste. He expressed concern that the ugly development of importation of cancer- infested tomato paste was killing a lot of Nigerians. According to him, it is reported that this mafia group are collaborating with a few indigenous manufacturers in Nigeria who are being used as a cover-up. Ossai further said that the fake and substandard and cancer- causing tomato paste had flooded the Nigerian markets with low prices.

The Delta state lawmaker further explained that this has compelled the closing down of many and genuine indigenous tomato paste processing companies in Nigeria which has resulted to retrenchment of over 50 per cent of their staff. “Section 5 subsections (a) to (e) and (I) of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control Act has given NAFDAC the onerous task of ensuring that fake and substandard food items are not found within the Nigerian markets. “This is in conformity with Order XViii Rules 160 (2) (n) of the Standing Orders of the House of the Representatives.”

Credit: Vanguard