By Uzor Odigbo
Apapa Command of Nigeria Customs Service has collected a total N367,682,616,309.23 from January to September
A total of 328 containers of various goods valued at N19,545,849,108 that contravened the law were seized showing an increase above 37 containers that were seized same period of last year.
The command also made seizures of pharmaceuticals, foreign rice, used clothing and other items in 129 containers with total duty paid value of N3,640,894,888 in the third quarter of this year
Disclosing this to newsmen in Lagos, Customs Area Controller,Mohammed Abba-Kura said the figure represents 17 percent increase above the N313,518,235,978.06 collected within the first nine months of 2019 with difference of N54,164,380,331.17
Specifically for the third quarter, Abba-Kura said the command collected N140,335,570,076 as revenue from customs duty and other charges between July and September 2020.
Abba-Kura said the figure is 27 percent higher than the N110,254,181,295.37 collected within same period of 2019 with a difference of N30,081,388,781.01.
“The difference recorded was made possible as a result of resilience of officers in ensuring that Importers and agents are made to do proper declarations, adhere strictly to import/export guidelines in tandem with extant laws”
On the seizures the Controller said “These items were seized mainly because of various forms of infractions which range from false declarations, non-adherence to import/export guidelines and failure to comply with other extant regulations as enshrined in the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA)
“In the area of export trade, the period under review recorded exportation of goods worth N26,273,706,822 exported from the country
“These exported goods include Mineral resources,steel bars, agricultural products among others with a total tonnage of 378,447 million tonnes free on board value of $85,861,787. Similarly,the volume of export from January to September 2020 stood at N78,643,231,290 with FOB $257,003,965”
Abba-Kura added that compliance level is estimated to be at 60 percent which is the reason for increasing number of seizures made