The Ogun 1 command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has said that it generated N29,940,146.50 from import duties and auction sales of seized Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from January to June 2022, showing a significant increase from the N15,261.074.00 collected for the same period last year.
This is even as the Command revealed that its anti-smuggling activities for the period under review fetched seizures estimated at N3,400,226,707.00 (duty paid value) which includes the interception of 25,906 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice (equivalent to 43 trailer loads), 11,645 kegs of 25 litres each of PMS (equivalent of nine tankers) and other banned items.
The Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Bamidele Makinde who disclosed this in Idiroko, on Wednesday, said the seizures show about a 400 per cent increase from last year’s record of N834.765.273.00.
According to him, if the huge quantity of rice had been allowed into the Nigerian markets, it would be disastrous to the federal government policy on local rice production and the economy of the nation.
The command also seized the following items: 1,433 cartons of frozen poultry products; 72 units of foreign used vehicles also used as means of conveyance, including a marcopolo bus; 20 units of motorcycles used as means of conveyance; 1,400 packets and 2,250 sachets of tramadol and 168 packets of codeine; 289 cartons of tomato paste and 258 sacks and 661 wraps of cannabis sativa.
Others include 140 pieces of used tyres; 11,645 kegs of 25 litres each of PMS (the equivalent of about 9 tanker loads); 343 cartons of foreign wine; 34 bales, 113 sacks and 36 “Ghana Must Go” bags of secondhand clothes; 64 sacks and 2,218 pairs of used footwear; 328 cartons, 320 sacks and 72 pairs of new footwear 180 pieces of female handbags; 375 bales, 925 pieces of textile, and 900 pieces of machetes.
The CAC noted that the achievements were due to continuous stakeholder’s engagement and management; deployment of intelligence in all the operations across the state; structural reorganisation of the command; improved motivation of officers by the NCS Management as exemplified by the operational vehicles allocated to the command recently and the provision of accommodation in various outstations within the command, as well as improved discipline and total dedication to duty by officers of the command.
Compt. Makinde further said: “The command will continue to dialogue, engage, sensitise and educate the public on social/economic implications of smuggling as well as performing its statutory function of enforcing compliance in line with government fiscal policies. We shall strengthen the customs-community relations and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) within our capacity.
“As part of our Stakeholders’ engagement, we paid courtesy visits to traditional rulers in various communities in the State. I sought their support in combating smuggling and urged them to educate their subjects on the menace of smuggling and incessant attacks on security operatives discharging their statutory duties. We also visited heads of various security agencies for synergy and collaboration in the state.
He thanked the CGC. Col Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd), his management team, officers and men of the command, critical stakeholders, sister security agencies, community leaders and traditional rulers for their continuous support.
