The Nigerian Customs Service and car dealers clashed yesterday over vehicle import duty and a Customs’ Hilux patrol vehicle was set ablaze in the process.
The clash between the car dealers and customs officers would have escalated but for the timely intervention of the state’s security outfit named Operation Yaki.
The customs officers have gone to Rabah Road in Kaduna at about 3 pm to impound vehicles it claimed the dealers had not paid import duties on.
The Punch reports that the Customs officials had gone to an unnamed car dealer’s showroom and impounded about six luxury vehicles which they claimed had no import duties.
But on getting to the showroom, the Customs officials who were few in numbers sensed there could be danger and decided to go back for reinforcement.
The car dealer used the opportunity “to quickly hide some of the vehicles. But the Customs officials were able to tow away four of the luxury vehicles,” a source told the newspaper.
The Custom officials then returned to impound more vehicles but the car dealers were waiting for them this time. They gathered themselves and gave the officials a hot chase.
They (car dealers) caught up with the patrol vehicle and set it ablaze while onlookers cheered. “The Customs officials had gone to Issa Kaita Road to impound vehicles without import duties from an auto mart. They succeeded in impounding four of the vehicles but came back to tow the remaining two.
“As they took the remaining two, the car dealers mobilised and gave them a hot chase. Luck ran against the Customs’ driver as the dealers caught up with him, dragged him down and set the patrol vehicle on fire.”
When contacted, the spokesman for the Nigerian Customs Headquarters, Abuja, Joseph Attah, confirmed the incident. He said the owner the owner of the seized vehicles was already in their custody, noting that the law must take its cause.
The customs had been embroiled in controversies over its demand for import duties on already imported vehicles. Earlier in the year, the senate pressured on its leadership to stop its planned seizure of vehicles without import duties.
The customs also regularly raids traders stores and warehouses for imported contraband produces.