After Lagos raid, Customs seals vehicle sellers’ premises in Katsina, Sokoto

By Richards Adeniyi

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has sealed the premises used for selling cars in Katina and Sokoto states.

The action is coming two days after the NCS sealed the premises of car dealers including Coscharis, Skymit Motors and others in Lagos.

In Sokoto, the Customs clampdown on the used car dealers started around 12 midnight on Monday.

“They came to our place, took chassis numbers of all our vehicles before sealing up the premises,” one of the car dealers, Shafi’u Bankanu, said.

He said the same operation was taking place in Kebbi and Zamfara states as gathered from their colleagues.

“They told us they would take away our vehicles whose duties were not paid,” he said.

On Tuesday, the operational vehicles of Customs with armed operatives were seen stationed at the gates of the sealed premises in Sokoto.

When contacted, the spokesman of the Sokoto Area Command of Customs, Magaji Mailafiya, declined comment on the development.

In Katsina, no fewer than 20 used car marts were reportedly sealed by the Customs officials.

The officers, who carried out the operation recently night, raised debit note representing import duty shortfalls on the vehicles at the various sealed premises.

The chairman of car dealers in the state, Sabo Musa, said the group was meeting “to find a solution” to the Customs action.

When contacted, the spokesman of the Katsina/Kaduna Customs command, Duniya Peters, said it wasn’t the command that is carrying out the operations.

Investigations revealed that the action was carried out by men of the dreaded Customs Comptroller-General Strike Force.

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