Personnel of the Zone C command of the Nigerian Customs on Friday raided car dealer shops in Port Harcourt in search of smuggled vehicles.
Custom officers were spotted on the premises of popular car dealer shops around the Rumuola axis of the town where vehicles documents belonging to the dealers were screened for lack of import duties.
One of the salespersons at one of the car dealer shops close to Bori Camp Gate told theportcitynews that the gun-wielding Customs officers stormed their shop and demanded customs duties of all the vehicles on display.
The salesman who did not want his name in print said “We were in a rude shock when we came to work and saw them in our shop, claiming that 90 per cent of vehicles on the premises did not pay import duty”
He said the mart was sealed by the officers who asked them to come to their base with the proper import duties for the vehicles.
The Zone C command of the command declined comments on the matter when contacted by theportcitynews.
Last week, Customs officials sealed more than 100 vehicle dealers’ premises in Abuja and Lagos, alleging that the affected dealers were trading in smuggled vehicles.
Customs said the seized vehicles would be released only when the owners pay the statutory import duty and an additional 25% penalty on them.
Our correspondent reports that several car marts were sealed by Customs officers in Port Harcourt in line with the crackdown on smuggled vehicles.
