Customs Nabs Two Lebanese Over Attempts To Smuggle $890,000 , As EFCC Commences Investigation

Operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, Port Harcourt Airport Command have arrested two Lebanese for attempting to smuggle foreign current abroad.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced investigation of two Lebanese: Dina Jihad Khali and Chamseddine Waell Mohmmed, who were arrested by officers of the Customs Area Command, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for attempting to smuggle a total sum of $890,000 out of Nigeria, through the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa.

The suspects were arrested on Wednesday, August 12, 2020 and handed over to the Port Harcourt Zonal office of the EFCC for further investigation.

Speaking while handing over the two suspects, A.B Mohammed Olayinka, Customs Area Controller, disclosed that Khali with Passport
Number LR152975 (Republic of Lebanon) was arrested with $670,000USD (Six Hundred and Seventy Thousand Dollars ) while Mohammed with Passport Number LR0356598 (Republic of Lebanon) had $220,000USD (Two Hundred and Twenty Thousand Dollars)

According to a statement by the commission, they were both arrested while trying to board a flight to Lebanon.

He further disclosed that the money recovered from the suspects, which they failed to declare to Customs, has been deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria, Rivers State Branch, for safe keeping.

Principal Detective Superintendent Macaulay Olayinka,who received the suspects on behalf of the Zonal Head, thanked officers of the Customs Area Command for the synergy that exist between the Command and the EFCC.

He assured that investigation will commence in earnest, adding that the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation is
concluded.

Similarly , a suspected rice smuggler on Tuesday met his waterloo while trying to evade arrest from Customs officers along Del/Owode Ketu in Ogun state.

The Public Relations Officer of the Ogun 1 command, Hameed Oloyede stated this in a press release made available to the public.

According to him, a combined patrol team attached to the command on information, went on patrol around Yewa North Local Government Area and intercepted a motorcycle loaded with foreign bags of rice (50kg each).

Narrating what happened, he said that the rice and the means of conveyance were taken to the patrol base leaving some officers behind to be on surveillance for another information.

“On reaching a bush path of the same area, some suspected smugglers on Motorcycles (Popularly known as Okada) laden with some bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice, on sighting Officers ran away in convoy to evade arrest.

“With the level of their speed and the state of the road, one of the suspected smugglers summersaulted, hit his head on the ground, while the motorcycle with some bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice fell on him and was discovered dead on the spot.

“Consequently, the corpse was taken to mortuary by the Police, while the motorcycle with the uncustomed goods were taken to Police Station for further investigation.

Oloyede added that in retaliation,, some unscrupulous youths resorted to unleashing mayhem on Customs personnel, burnt a patrol base, and took away one of the intercepted motorcycles.

“On getting the report, the Customs Area Controller immediately called for reinforcement from other Customs patrol teams, Border drill and Nigeria Police whose combined effort brought the situation under control. As at the time of this report, normalcy has returned to the area;” he concluded