JBPT Recovers 3 Stolen Cars In Suleja, Lokoja, Benue …Seizes Contrabands Worth N302.5m

Security agents attached to the Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT) , Sector 3, succeeded in recovering three stolen vehicles at different locations in states under the sector last year, the  Coordinator,   Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT) Compt Olugboyega Peters, has disclosed.

Peters disclosed this during the press conference he presided over in Ilorin, Kwara state to  chronicle the accomplishments recorded by the Sector 3  between January and December, 2022 which was attended by journalists including Team@orientactualmags.com.

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He said the three stolen vehicles were recovered in Suleja, Lokoja and Benue state while adding that one of the vehicles in question belong to Hon Chidi Wihioka, a former member of the House of Representatives,   who represented Ikwerre Emohua Federal Constituency , Rivers state .

‘In the early hours of Wednesday, 23rd of November, 2022, our officers deployed to the Suleja  axis of Niger State, while on a routine patrol intercepted a Toyota land cruiser Jeep with registration number KUJ 570 MB from Abuja heading to Kaduna. They  requested for the vehicle Customs documents from the occupants. The two (2) occupants who could not produce any document alighted from the vehicle, pretending to be making a  phone call to the owner and suddenly took to their heels and ran into the bush and abandoned the vehicle. This raised suspicions of the vehicle being a stolen one.

As mentioned above, Section 149 which empowers officers to search vehicles and ship, while conducting a search on the vehicle, the security agents found a complimentary card bearing details of a former member of the National Assembly. The said Honorable member was subsequently contacted and officers were confronted with shocking news that the vehicle in question  had been snatched a few hours earlier from his driver at gun point around Gwarimpa axis of Abuja

Gentlemen of the press, I want to assure you that once the customs duty of the said vehicle is produced by the owner and confirmed to be genuine, the sector will hand over the vehicle to the Nigeria Police Force for further investigations and theft clarification.

During the period under review, Sector 3 has intercepted a total of three (3) stolen vehicles ; Lexus RX 350 without a number plate seized around Benue axis, Toyota Yaris with Registration Number BEN-59-EZ recovered around Lokoja Axis of the Sector and a Toyota land cruiser jeep  that was recovered in Suleja axis as earlier mentioned’ he said.

The JBPT boss also added that Sector 3 during the period under review, successfully recorded (187) One Hundred and Eighty Seven seizures with a duty paid value of Three Hundred and two Million five Hundred and ninety Thousand two Hundred and fifty two Naira (N 302, 590, 252.00) while giving  the breakdown of the seized goods as follows:

‘2,052 Bags of Foreign Parboiled Rice (50 kg each) an average of 4 -trailer load

4,598 liters of PMS (Petrol) 

40 drums of 800 liters of Diesel 

28 units of used Vehicles 

16 units of Motorcycle (Means of Conveyance)

11 kegs of Vegetable oil (25 liters each)

102 bales of Secondhand clothing

19 Sacks of  2166 Pairs of Used Shoes

427  Wraps  of Cannabis sativa

4 packet of Tramadol (200 pieces each) of 120mg, 90 Pieces of Used tyres and

39 cartons tomato paste’ he submitted.

‘However, in line with the extant laws, most of the inflammable products have been auctioned to the public with the amount generated as fees remitted to government coffers’ Peters also noted.

He also warned those who may still have  the intention of smuggling illicit, controlled and prohibited goods or engaging in human trafficking and other criminal activities to  drop such an idea as there will be no hiding place for smugglers  disclosing that  the sector had since introduced new patrol strategies.

Peters also recalled on a sad note that an incident was  recorded on Friday 21st October, 2022  adding that hoodlums, apparently at the instance of smugglers ,who were  making attempts to reclaim seized goods   had launched a surprise attack  that left one customs officer; ASCI Saheed Aweda dead  while three others were injured .

He urged parents and guardians to warn their wards to desist from obstructing  the JBPT officers  from performing their legitimate duties as the Sector will not according to him hesitate to use appropriate force in line with rules of engagement and will leave ‘our Officers with no other alternative than to defend themselves in the interest of the nation’.

There was also good news as Peters announced that he has been promoted to the rank of Assistant Comptroller General of Customs (ACG) and will no longer serve as Coordinator of the Joint Border Patrol Team, Sector 3- Team@orientactualmags.com
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