‘Smugglers threaten 2019 election’
The 2019 general elections maybe crisis ridden if they federal government does not urgently arrest smuggling in some of our nation’s ports, investigation has revealed.
According to investigations, Onne, Calabar and Port Harcourt ports are major areas of attraction used by the smugglers.
Industry watchers said the illegal activities were fuel by the abandonment of pre-inspection of goods at the point.
They called on the Department of State Service, the Nigeria Custom Service; the Nigeria Police Force; the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and Presidential Committee on Trade Malpractices to immediately swing into action and arrest the ugly development.
Also, investigation revealed that smugglers import containers of goods valued at about $5 million that are never captured under the correct HS code 7210.30.00.00 – 7210.50.00.00 of Nigerian Customs Service portal, making the Federal Government of Nigeria to lose an estimated revenue of about N1 billion on weekly basis
on these smuggled items due to the neglect of pre-inspection of any container coming into the country which was hither-to the practice in Nigeria.
It was also discovered that the smugglers by this act successfully sabotage the economy with non-payment of the prescribed 45 per cent import duty on items of steel products being smuggled into Nigeria.
