There are strong
indications that influential Nigerians, including a serving governor and a
minister, are among owners of about 1,500 exotic vehicles parked in the
Volkswagen Yard, on the Mile 2-Badagry Expressway in Lagos since 2015.
Another governor from the South-East (name
withheld) has also been identified as the owner of 15 Sports Utility Vehicles
intercepted and impounded by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service and parked
in the agency’s office in Ikeja.
The Senate Committee on
Customs, Excise and Tariff, led by its Chairman, Hope Uzodinma, had visited the
VON premises last week on oversight assignment when it discovered that the
place looked deserted with disused equipment in its assembly plant.
The officials of the company, who had earlier
declined to open the store to the lawmakers for inspection, were forced to
grant the visitors access into the warehouse when the lawmakers threatened to
force the door open.
The senators, who were there in company with
security operatives and officials of the NCS, saw no fewer than 1,500 pieces of
various models of Volkswagen products and other brands of vehicles in the
warehouse.
Sunday Punch learnt that the
senators were curious when they found out that there were port tags on the
vehicles, indicating that they were imported.
The Public Relations
Officer, Nigeria Customs Service, Mr. Wale Adeniyi, said the affected vehicles
had remained under NCS custody because duty was not paid on them.
Adeniyi stated, “There are no separate laws for
top government officials or highly-placed Nigerians. The laws are the same for
everybody and the laws specify that all imported vehicles attract duty. If duty
was not paid, the vehicles cannot be released.”
He, however, added that if the owners paid the
required duty, the SUVs would be released.
On the 1,500 vehicles found in the premises of
Volkswagen, Adeniyi said, “I do not have details of that development.”
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