[Mhiz Rebecca]

The N298 million bulletproof Range Rover Sports
Utility Vehicle (SUV) reportedly belonging to the
Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, is rotting
away at the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) yard,
nine months after it was impounded.
Sources including officials of the Customs Service in
Lagos State said the vehicle which was seized in
January this year, is at the facility of the Federal
Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A of the Customs in
Ikeja.
Daily Trust on Sunday gathered that the car which
the Senate in March claimed it bought at N62.5
million, is on a crane at the entrance of the yard.
It was gathered that the black SUV, with chassis
number SALGV3TF3EA190243, is being held over
evasion of Customs duties and fake documents.
A source sighted the vehicle at the yard last
Thursday when an official of the NCS facilitated his
entry.
“A senior Customs official showed me the car when I
went there for my personal business. I couldn’t take
a photograph of the car because we handed over our
phones at the entrance to officials manning the
gate,” he said.
Also, a Customs officer serving in Lagos, said the
car has not been released and that it has become,
“government property”.
“I can confirm to you that the car is still at FOA in
Ikeja. You know if you bring a contraband or you
evade Customs duty, it’s classified as seizure. Any
car that is impounded becomes government
property.
“When an item is seized it can either be auctioned or
destroyed. I don’t know whether there is
arrangement to auction the car or not but what I
know is that it has not been released, “the Customs
officer, who pleaded anonymity, said.
When contacted, the spokesperson of the Senate,
Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said,” I have no
comment on that because I don’t even know what
you are talking about”.
When reminded that he once addressed the press on
the car, he said, “the issue is so clear. If somebody
is on a contract with you, he has not delivered and
something happens along the way, why is that your
business? That was what we addressed you on at
that time. “
When pressed further, Sabi said, “I’m not the
contractor, he has not delivered. Whatever happens
is between the contractor and Customs.”
Asked whether the contractor has returned the
money paid by the Senate, Sabi said, “I don’t know
anything about that. Go and do your investigation. I
have come to the conclusion that you people in your
paper don’t want peace, otherwise, how has this
become an issue?
What Sabi said earlier
At the peak of the controversy, Sabi, while
addressing newsmen, confirmed the purchase of the
car.
“Our attention has been drawn to the various false
and mischievous reports in the media about the
price of the vehicle which the Senate was said to
have bought as part of its convoy but was later
abandoned when it got impounded by the Customs
over controversy surrounding import duty payment.
“The correct price of the vehicle when it was
imported in 2015 is $298,000, which at the prevailing
rate of N165 to a dollar is about N49, 170. The
Senate paid N62.5m for the vehicle in November
2015. This is contrary to the mischief by those who
decided to turn the $298,000 to N298m as the price
of the vehicle. For the avoidance of doubt, the price
of that vehicle is N62.5m and not N298m,” he said.
The news of the seizure of the car was unknown
until the Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed
Ali, clashed with the Senate over wearing uniform in
March, two months after the car was impounded.
The car was intercepted and impounded by Customs
operaatives in January, while it was being moved to
Abuja from Lagos by operatives of the Customs.
The driver of the car was said to have presented
documents, including a letter from the National
Assembly, indicating that it belongs to the Senate
President.
At a public hearing in March, the importer, Tokunbo
Akindele, told the Senate committee that it was
discovered in January, this year that the car had fake
documents.
He said the car was not imported for Senator Saraki,
insisting that at the time the vehicle was imported, it
was not for the Senate President’s use.
Meanwhile, the Customs authourity in charge of the
Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A, Ikeja, has
maintained sealed lips on the issue.
Our correspondent gathered that the case file has
since been transferred to the Customs Headquarters
in Abuja, for further investigation.
The units Public Relations Officer, Jerry Attah, did
not respond to messages sent to him on the issue,
just as calls put through to him were not returned.