‘Why smuggling of vehicles is no longer lucrative’

The Zonal Commanding Officer, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Zone 10 Sokoto- comprising Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States- Dr Kayode Olagunju, has noted that effective collaboration among federal government agencies had made smuggling of vehicles a less lucrative business.

Assistant Corps Olagunju stated this when he paid a courtesy visit to the Area Commander of the Nigeria Custom Service (NCS) in Sokoto.

“The collaboration of the FRSC, NCS, Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) and the states has made registering such vehicles without paying appropriate fees, difficult,” he explained.

He added:”Vehicles on which custom duties have not been paid are detected at the point of registration and owners of such vehicles are referred back to the Customs for payment of the required duties, thus the idea of short-changing the government is defeated.”

The ZCO stressed the need for continuous collaboration between the FRSC and NCS in the three states of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara.

In a remark, the Area Commander of the Nigeria Custom Service (NCS) in Sokoto, Comptroller Umar Gimba underscored the efforts of his men in thwarting the efforts of smugglers in the Zone.

He noted the importance of collaboration between FRSC and NCS in the areas of intelligence gathering, blocking of revenue leakages and general improvement in national security.