The Officers and Men of Ogun Area Command, on Tuesday 4th April, 2017, intercepted seven hundred and twenty two (722) cartons of imported frozen fish comprising of soley fish, senrei fish of which they fall under water pelagic fishes (open sea fishes), fifty six (56) bags of imported rice of 50kg each loaded in one (1) refrigerated Iveco truck with Registration Number SMK 96 XR. The goods in summary have a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of Ten Million Five Hundred and Seventy Three Thousand Naira (N10, 573, 000.00).
It is pertinent to note that frozen fish has recently come under regulated product in Nigeria with vivid guidelines which every fish importer must fulfill before he or she can embark on importation of such.
For the avoidance of doubt, apart from fulfilling all import guidelines, there must be a fishing license/permit from Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development by importing company and such importation must be subjected to National Agency for Food Administration and Control (NAFADAC) inspection/certification among others.
Pursuant to the Federal Government Policy on fish importation, the Nigeria Customs Service is working assiduously at ensuring that our dear country is not turn into a dumping ground of not only fish but other restricted items.
It is my pleasure to once again welcome you to Ogun state Customs Area Command, today is exactly one week after we met in this environment in an effort to succulently keep you informed on series of successes we are recording in the effective discharge of our core functions (i.e revenue collection, anti-smuggling and trade facilitation).
In contravention of the aforementioned rules and guidelines as contained in the government policies and extant circulars, the goods have been seized and the frozen fish will be destroyed accordingly.
"I will like to seize this opportunity to reiterate my appeal to the traditional rulers and eminent personalities in the state to deploy all necessary mechanism in discouraging the activities of their wards that indulge in smuggling. We believe that, patriotism entails sacrifice and devoted service to our beloved nation."…Compt. Gangua.
A suspect by name Mr. Seseh Idowu a native of Benin Republic has been apprehended in connection with the seizure and he is helping the Command with some useful information.