Zone A Federal Operations Unit of Nigeria Customs Service covering the South West Nigeria has made a total seizure and revenue collection amounting to N5.9b for 2017.
According to Jerome Attah, Customs Public Relations Officer of the unit, the figure breakdown of N4,004,258,331.52 as total duty paid value of all the seizures it made in 2017.
The unit also collected revenue amounting to N1,956,022,531.65 from duty payments and demand notices on general goods that tried to beat the system from seaports, airport and border stations through wrong classification, transfer of value, and shortchange in duty payment that are meant for the Federal Government of Nigeria, making a cumulative of Five Billion, Nine Hundred and Sixty Million, Two Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Eight Hundred and Sixty Three Naira, only (5,960,280,863.00) in the year 2017
The customs spokesman in statement also disclosed that 179 suspects were arrested in connection with the various seizures it made last years, 2017.
”Looking at 2017 under review, 179 suspects were arrested in connection to these 1,046 different seizures comprising foreign parboiled rice, frozen poultry products, vegetable oil, smuggled vehicles, Indian hemp, arms, fake pharmaceutical/medicament and various general merchandise.
”The Controller, Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’ Comptroller Mohammed Uba Garba said despite the challenges in 2017 recorded the highest seizures and revenue so far in the history of Federal Operations Ikeja. He attributed this feat to leadership of the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) and the entire Management Team of the Nigeria Customs Service for their efforts in recognizing hard work and putting square begs in square holes. Without the Management motivation and necessary logistic support, we won’t have achieved this feat within this period.
”Similarly, Comptroller Uba while commending the commitment and diligence of the Officers and Men of the FOU ‘A’ for thwarting the antics of some dare devil smugglers who used different methods to deceive the service, further charged his officers to be professional and diligent in performing their statutory responsibilities in the year 2018; most especially in the area of anti-smuggling operations by making sure all revenue linkages are blocked.
The Controller, according to the statement, has read the riot act to smugglers and anyone wishing to engage in smuggling activities while urging them to do only businesses approved by law
”He further warned all would be smugglers and their accomplices to desist from such illegality and invest their money in legitimate business, as the Unit has devised other operational modalities that give them a run for their money and count their losses, if not jailed. For the avoidance of doubt, the Federal Government policy banning the importation of Vehicles and Rice through the land borders is still in force and we are ever ready and equipped to enforce these polices to
