The Nigeria Customs Service says
it raided Fraser Suites, Abuja, after receiving an intelligence that some
exotic cars without duty payment were parked in the hotel.
Joseph Attah, customs spokesman,
said the service learnt the cars, suspected to have been smuggled into the
country, were removed from a car mart.
NigerianEye had reported that
operatives of the service had besieged the hotel after seizing six cars parked
there on Wednesday night.
In a statement on Thursday, Attah
said the cars were seized pending a confirmation that they were not smuggled.
He also denied the guests at the
hotel were asked to come out of their rooms.
“The attention of Nigeria Customs
Service (NCS) has been drawn to misinformation making the rounds concerning
visit of our operatives to an Abuja hotel to remove suspected smuggled vehicles
Thursday,” he said.
“Our operatives, relying on
intelligence that owners of some exotic cars (including bullet proof) without
duty payment quickly removed their vehicles from a car mart and took same to
Frasier Hotel, Abuja.
“On arrival at the hotel, our
operatives interacted with the manager and eventually left with 4 vehicles
leaving 6 behind, while expecting the manager to provide the keys to the cars
left behind.
“However, the manager Thursday
morning gave a written undertaking to produce a Customs vehicle duty payment
documents to support his claim that the vehicles were not smuggled.
“We assured him of prompt release
of the vehicles as soon as evidence of appropriate duty payments are presented.
“Unfortunately, we woke up to
mischievous misrepresentation of an otherwise professional engagement with the
manager that had nothing to do with the guests in the hotel.
“Some even went as far as saying
that the operatives went from room to rooms waking up guests to come out for
vehicle verification. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
“NCS did not do such thing and
has no intention to start raiding hotels. Our operatives never infringed on the
rights and comfort of guests in the hotel.”
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