About 90 percent of cars in Nigeria were smuggled into the country by unscrupulous elements.
This is according to the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Colonel Hameed Ali, who also said it has become necessary to collect taxes on these illicit vehicles. In return these vehicles are then issued with papers effectively legitimising their resale.
Ali alleged that many vehicles on display for sale in auto shops across the country were also smuggled.
He said raids were conducted at various car dealerships in some parts of the country to ascertain whether the vehicles were brought in genuinely or not.
According to Ali the country needs revenue for development, hence the need to collect duties on those smuggled vehicles.
“What we are doing now? we are just enforcing the law, which allows us to collect revenue on behalf of Nigeria and also ensure those vehicles you and I will go and buy have genuine papers that are roadworthy,” said Ali.
