Customs intercept vehicle with 15 smuggled bulletproof jackets, others

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), on Wednesday, said it intercepted a Toyota Sienna vehicle loaded with 15 bulletproof jackets, 15 pieces of jack knives and 20 pieces of pistol pouches at the Ijebu-Ode checkpoint in Ogun State.

Hussein Ejibunu, the Controller of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone A Ikeja, Lagos, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the driver of the vehicle was arrested and the controlled wares seized.

Ejibunu also said that the importation of any form of bulletproof items required an end-user certificate from the office of the National Security Adviser.

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The statement reads in part: “Within July, our officers intercepted smuggled 15 bulletproof jackets, 15 pieces of jack knives, and 20 pieces of pistol pouches inside a Toyota Sienna bus in Ogun State at Ijebu-Ode Checkpoint.

“The driver of the vehicle was arrested with the seized controlled wares. It is pertinent to know that the importation of all forms of bulletproof materials such as vests, ballistic materials, and vehicles, as well as parts and accessories for all military armaments and hardware such as guns, arms, and ammunition of all kinds; lethal and non-lethal requires an end-user certificate.”

Ejibunu further said that a total of 50 seizures were made and 13 persons were arrested in connection with different seizures in July.

“Notable among the seizures made were, 5,642 bags of foreign rice 50kg each equivalent to nine trailer loads, 18,925 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, 20 pieces of pistol pouches, 15 pieces of bulletproof jackets, 15 pieces of jack knives, 49 cartons of children school shoes, 181 parcels of Indian Hemp 87 kg each, 357 kegs of vegetable oil five litres each, one unit of Honda Motorcycle, two used (Tokunbo) vehicles, among others,” he said.

He also disclosed that the duty-paid value of the seized goods stood at N463m, adding that over three suspects and cannabis sativa with a net weight of 7.73 kg have been handed over to officials of the Lagos State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, for further investigation and prosecution.

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