The Federal Operations Unit Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service within January and June 2023 has N400,599,515.66.
The Command’s Comptroller, DC. Hussein K Ejibunu disclosed this during a press briefing recently.
While reiterating commitment to anti-smuggling activities which aims to protect the Nigerian economy and prevent revenue loss, Ejibunu revealed that, the command made 580 seizures with a duty-paid value of N4,022,960,075.
In his words, “Within the first six months of the year, our activities resulted in a high volume and value of seizures with some suspects arrested. We also succeeded in preventing the entry of dangerous or harmful substances like illicit drugs into the society;
Continuing, “Our strategic intervention also achieved recovery of revenue through the issuance of demand notices (DN) to complete underpaid duties into the federal government coffers that were being evaded by some importers and their agents;
“For the period under review, we made 580 seizures with a duty-paid value of N4,022,960,075. We also arrested 60 suspects and recovered a total of N400,599,515.66 as revenue through the issuance of demand notices.
“We wish to express our profound gratitude to sister security agencies for their unflinching synergy in the course of our operations; special mention to the Department of State Security Services- Oyo State Command for the arrest of a notorious suspect that was on the wanted list for attack on a Customs patrol team escorting exhibits. Interestingly, this suspect was arrested and handed over the Unit”.
“Through the federal high courts, 11 suspects were convicted for committing offences of improper importation, assault on Customs officers, being in possession of foreign parboiled rice and for being in possession of Pangolin scales meant for export.
The CAC revealed that some other smuggling and related cases instituted in the courts are at various stages of prosecution and would be followed up diligently.
Prominent among the seizures, according to Ejibunu was rice which amounts to 36,742 X 50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice equivalent to 62 trailer loads. Some of them were ferried through bush paths using motorcycles and rickety vehicles as means of conveyance.
While advising the trading public to be abreast of import and export prohibition list, saying, ignorance won’t be an excuse, Ejibunu however, disclosed that, in the second half of the year, anti-smuggling fight will be fiercely enforced.
He said, “Let me reiterate that for the second half of 2023, our onslaught against smugglers will be fiercer with a renewed determination to uncover them using intelligence-backed enforcement. We shall get recalcitrant traders and their agents arrested and prosecuted in addition to seizing their wares; “At this point, members of the trading community are advised to further embrace compliance and shun any act that would place them on the wrong side of the law.
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