Customs fires 2,000 officers over corruption, generates N2.14tr revenue
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Up to 2,000 officers have been fired from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and prosecuted since 2015 for engaging in corruption and other illegal activities, according to NCS Controller General Hameed Ali.
He made the disclosure at the 54th Session of the State House Ministerial Briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team in Aso Rock.
He also disclosed the NCS generated N2.14 trillion revenue in 2022, which he said fell short of projected N3.02 trillion because the government is yet to commence the collection of telecommunications tax.
Ali warned the public to be wary of rogue Customs officers and avoid being scammed.
The fight by the Customs against smuggling has evolved, he stressed, necessitating the procurement of additional aircraft to intercept smuggling across the borders in collaboration with the Nigerian Air Force.
Ali also warned that imported rice is unfit for consumption and dangerous to human health because it is preserved with chemicals that have a short lifespan, per The PUNCH.
This is why Customs officers regularly seize such items from the market to safeguard the health of Nigerians, he explained.
He added the seized bags of rice are distributed to internally displaced person (IDP) camps and the needy after certification by the National Agency for Food & Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
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Customs arrests suspects over N622m ammunition, other contraband
Last month, Customs officers arrested five suspects over ammunition, petrol, second hand clothing, frozen poultry and other imported assorted contraband worth more than N622 million in Duty Paid Value (DPV).
Acting Customs Area Controller of Federal Operations Unit (Zone A) Hussein Ejibunnu who made the announcement said these contraband were seized in
September alone, during which period N107 million was also recovered.
The unit also intercepted imported bales of second hand clothing in Lagos and petrol concealed in sacks around Badagry, among others.
“Among the September seizures was a massive discovery of bales of 1,955 bales of used clothing in an abandoned building around the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex,” he said.
“We made the discovery and evacuation using combined strategies of intelligence, tact and enforcement.
“Also within the same period, a large cache of PMS ingeniously concealed inside sacks was intercepted at the Badagry axis of Lagos State.”