The Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’ Ikeja, Lagos, of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, says it got about N1.2 Billion from seizures and interventions between January to June, 2016.
This, it said, followed the aggressive anti-smuggling activities embarked upon by the Unit in its attempt to re-define its mandate for a paradigm shift.
It further disclosed that a total of 494 different seizures of prohibited/offending goods were effected by the Unit during the period under reference.
A breakdown of the report is as follows:
Breakdown Of Seizures – Commodity By Commodity
1) RICE: A total of 22,763 bags of 50kg parboiled rice was intercepted; valued at N113,940,000 with a payable duty of N34,182,000 and a DPV of N148,122,000.
2) POULTRY PRODUCTS: A total of 29,684 cartons valued at N133,578,000 with a payable duty of N26,715,600 and a DPV of N160,293,600.
3) VEHICLES: A total of 50 vehicles was intercepted comprising 38 units of assorted vehicles and 12 cut buses valued at N68 million with a payable duty of N23.8 million and a DPV of N91.8 million.
4) VEGETABLE OIL: 3,174 J/CANS, 286 cartons, 120 PCS of 10 litters and 1,250 empty J/CANS were also intercepted, valued at N21,196,000 with a payable duty of N7,359,950 with a DPV of N28,555,950.
5) GENERAL MERCHANDISE: Assorted general merchandise including new and used textile materials, new and used shoes, vegetable oil, insecticide, wine, various types of spaghetti and noodles, soaps and detergents valued at N365,346,650 with a payable duty of N94,194,990 with a DPV of N459,541,640..
The Unit also apprehended 126 suspects in connection with the seizures during the same period. Generally speaking and in totality, the Unit recorded 494 different remarkable seizures as indicated above, valued at N702,060,650 with a payable duty of N186,252,540 with a total DPV of N888,313,190.
Similarly, the Controller confirmed that over N312,870,295 was recovered through the various interventions during the same period.
In addition, the Controller noted that some of the seized items contravened sections 46 & 47 of the Customs & Excise Management Act CAP C45 LFN 2004; which are on “FORFEITURE OF GOODS IMPROPERLY IMPORTED” AS WELL AS “PENALTY FOR IMPROPER IMPORTATION OF GOODS ETC”.
A comparative analysis with 2015 corresponding report of the same period under review, the Federal Operations Unit in 2015 recorded 1,030 with a duty paid value of N758, 271, 969. Whereas the number of seizures for 2015 appears higher, the quality of seizures in the first half of 2016 accounted for the improved duty paid.
The Customs Area Controller in Charge of the Unit, Comptroller Umar Yusuf, while saying said the sense of commitment and dedication to duty of officers’ enabled the achievements, gave assurances that the Command will keep up the tempo in the second part of the year.
He however revealed some challenges the Command have experienced despite achieving this feat in the first half of the year. According to him, hostility from economic saboteurs who are determined to smuggle illegal goods and volatility of areas officers patrol have been challenging for the Command.
NSCDC Boss Talks Tough On Vandals
Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu has promised total war against vandals and other criminality activities in the nation. He also re-echoed the robust welfare package for personnel as he marked his first year in office.
Gana disclosed this at the prayer session organized in his honour by members of his organisation where he rendered his account of stewardship, plans and programmes for the corps and the nation.
Reiterating his commitment and readiness to move the corps to an enviable height with qualitative leadership, Abdulahi said he will always give back to his organization as long as the staffers are giving him the needed support and cooperation.
He added that his achievements and kind gestures are multi-faceted ranging from staff welfare, infrastructure, and health care among other staff-development programmes.
Abdulahi re-echoed his promises on robust welfare packages for Personnel of the Corps across board and prompt promotions for deserving members of the Corps.
On criminal activities, he explained that the Corps, as a creation of government by an Act of Parliament, was saddled with responsibility of protecting the Nations Critical Infrastructure and National Assets, which include petroleum pipelines, gas installations, telecommunication facilities, transport facilities.
Gana declared, “I just want to remind the vandals that vandalizing critical infrastructures of government is a criminal offence and I want to tell them to desist because defenders are watching them and would not sit down and watch people doing that.”
