From Our Correspondent
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ogun Area Command II, has released a rice-loaded bullion van impounded in April 2022 on the order of Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi.
The Customs Area Controller, Olusola Alade, announced this to journalists, on Friday, in Abeokuta.
Alade said Customs impounded the van after being found to contain 12 bags (50kg each) of smuggled foreign parboiled rice.
According to him, the van belong to an Abeokuta branch of Access Bank. It was also carrying N24.4 million cash at the time of interception.
He said NCS has handed both the money and bullion van, with registration number FKJ 993 BZ, over to officials of Bankers Warehouse Ltd. and Access Bank in Abeokuta.
“The bullion van belonged to Bankers Warehouse. A joint border patrol team impounded it on April 22, 2022 along the Sokoto-ljoun/Joga road in the Abeokuta axis.
“The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, has ordered the release of the bullion van and the money on compassionate ground after investigation,” Alade said.
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Alade added that NCS arrested three suspects and charged them to court regarding the crime.
“The suspects carefully concealed the seized foreign parboiled rice, 12 bags of 50kg each, in the van.
“Consequently, we conveyed the van and the items to the Customs House in Abeokuta for safekeeping.
“After examining the vehicle, the money was discovered and deposited at the Abeokuta branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria for safekeeping,” he explained.
Alade said further that the Bankers Warehouse Ltd and Access Bank later wrote an appeal letter to the Customs’ Comptroller-General to release the van and money on compassionate grounds.
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