Emmanuel kehinde,Ilorin
The Joint Border Patrol Team North Central Zone, Sector 3 of the Nigerian Customs Service has intercepted a Toyota land cruiser Jeep belonging to a serving member of the House of Representatives.
The stolen Jeep with registration number KUJ 570 MB, belongs to a lawmaker from Rivers state and was snatched at gun point in Gwarinpa axis of the FCT, Abuja.
Briefing journalists in Ilorin Monday on the activities of the team between January and December 2022, its coordinator, acting ACG Olugboyega Peters, said the team also lost one of its personnel, SaheedAweda, who was ambushed and killed by smugglers on 21st October 2022, at Igboho town of Orelopelocal government of Oyo state.
Flanked by the acting Area Controller, Kwara Area Command, HM Jalo , the JBPT coordinator, said the recovered Jeep was intercepted along Abuja-Kaduna road by operatives of the JBPT who were deployed on routine patrol along Suleja axis of Niger state on November 23, 2022.
He said “the operatives requested for the vehicle Customs documents from the occupants, The two occupants who could not produce any document, disembarked from the vehicle, pretending to be making a call to the owner and suddenly took to their heels and ran into the bush and abandoned the vehicle.”
The Customs boss said “In line with Section 149, which empowers officers to search vehicles and ship, the operatives conducted a search on the vehicle and found a complimentary card bearing details of a National Assembly member.
“The said Honorable member was subsequently contacted and officers were confronted with shocking news that the vehicle in question was snatched few hours earlier from his driver at gun point around Gwarimpa axis of Abuja.”
The Customs boss however clarified that the vehicle will only be handed over to the police for investigation of theft, only when the Customs duty of the said vehicle is produced by the owner and confirmed to be genuine.
Speaking further, Peters said during the period under review, sector 3 intercepted a total of three stolen vehicles. Namely; Lexus RX 350 without number plate sized around Benue axis, Toyota Yariswith registration number BEN-59-EZ apprehended around Lokoja axis of the sector and Toyota land cruiser jeep intercepted at Suleja axis among others.
