NCS nets in over N1.3bn in two months

The Customs Comptroller of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’ Ikeja, Lagos, Mr. Haruna Mamudu, has revealed that in the months of January and February 2017, the unit, through her anti-smuggling operations, intercepted various contrabands and other goods with a duty paid value (DPV) of N713.8million.

Haruna, who revealed this through a press statement on Tuesday, stated that in the period under review, the unit through its interventions recovered N650million from duty payments and demand notices on general goods that tried to beat the system from seaports, airport and border stations in the guise of false declaration, transfer of value, and shortchange in duty payment that are meant for the Federal Government of Nigeria, making a cumulative sum of N1.36billion.

Speaking further, Mr. Mamudu said 197 different seizures were recorded in the two months comprising foreign parboiled rice, frozen poultry products, vegetable oil, smuggled vehicles, Indian hemp, arms, fake pharmaceutical/medicament and various general merchandise.

On the recent operation and evacuation of smuggled items by men of the Unit in Sango Ota, Ogun state which led to a protest, he said, “you will recall that the unit evacuated 1,870 bags of smuggled foreign parboiled rice and 43 jerrycans of vegetable oil from the front of an unnamed warehouse in Sango Ota motor park in by Customs field operatives based on information, monitoring and trailing of some dare devil smugglers’ activities through unapproved routes using commercial motorcycles popularly known as ‘Okada’ and smaller vehicles ferrying on a very high speed and other concealment methods in carrying out their nefarious acts.

“There was mixed reaction based on this. I therefore challenge those who might have genuine importation documents from the seaports to come forward for their claims rather than breaching the law of the land.” He added that the Unit’s action is in conformity with the law of the Federation of Nigeria as enshrined in sections 147, 148, and 158 of the Customs Excise Management Act (CEMA) Cap C45 LFN 2004.