The Nigeria Customs Service commenced the release of cars to the first set of winners of its online auction of seized and condemned items at the Idiroko Border in Ogun State.
The Assistant Comptroller General of Customs in charge of Zone A (South West), Monday Abueh, who supervised the handover of the vehicles to successful bidders, told journalists that the service was committed to transparency in the entire process.
Abueh said the bidding and the processes leading to allotting victory to the highest bidders would continue to be devoid of interference by Customs officers and their relations in line with the stipulated guidelines.
Also speaking, the Customs Area Controller in charge of the Ogun Command, Sani Madugu, said the first set of winners were collecting their vehicles in the command because seizures from the Ogun area were the first to be uploaded on the portal.
He added that the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (retd), and members of the management team approved the process as a continuous one and that winners of other bidding rounds would receive the items from the areas where they were seized, domiciled or warehoused.
Madugu said one of the vehicles won, a Toyota Corolla 2015 model was brand new and was in the Customs control after seizure because of the due diligence of court condemnation and approved time for auction.
‘’We seized this 2015 model Corolla as a brand new vehicle because duty was not paid and attempts were being made to smuggle it into Nigeria. What you see on it is dust due to the long period it was parked,” he said.
Among the winners was a serving police officer based in Abuja, Charles Ivbeakharbokun, who got the Toyota Corolla for N2.6m.
Ivbeakharbokun said he got to know about the Customs electronic auction through Twitter and within a period of one hour, he was able to perfect his bid.
