The Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has so far raised Debit Notes on imported goods which beat the various ports Valuation Units to the tune of N17 billion between January to June 2020. The Debit Notes were raised on imported goods which were under-declared to pay lesser Customs duties.
Within the same period, contraband intercepted by the Unit from smugglers terrorising the South Western states of the country included used vehicles, pharmaceuticals, textiles, foreign parboiled rice, tomato paste, second hand clothings, among others.
Addressing the media in Lagos, the Customs Controller of the Unit, Acting Controller Usman Yahaya, said a total of N15.6 billion was generated from contrabands seized from smugglers while N 1.4 billion was raised from wrong classifications, transfer of value and false declaration of cargoes.
He said , “The total duty paid value of N15.6 billion were premised on seized contrabands, while N1.3 billion were revenue from the Unit’s interventions arising from wrong classifications, transfer of value and false declarations by importers. So, a total of N17 billion was recovered for the Federal Government in the period under review.”
According to Yahaya, the Unit also intercepted a truck load of banned textile materials worth N565 million imported from Benin Republic.
He further disclosed that 18,760 bags of foreign parboiled rice smuggled into the country from Benin Republic and 64 units of exotic vehicles were intercepted and detained for duty evasion and under payments within the the same period.
A quick glance at the spectacular seizures report from January 7, 2020, shows 64 exotic vehicles including two bullet proofs, 18,760 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice valued at N469 million, 1,338kg of Indian Hemp worth N201 million and 147 sacks (9,504kg) of Pangolin scales worth N10.4 billion.
Others are 3,059 cartons of Tomato paste, 10,653 cartons of Frozen poultry products, 5,423 kegs of 25 litres each of vegetable oil, 56,472 bundles of printed textiles valued at N565 million, 66 packs of Tramadol, 872 bales of second hand clothing worth N61 million, 11,077 cartons of frozen products worth N177 million.”
Also intercepted are 5,423 kegs of vegetable oil valued at N87 million, 7,549 gallons of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) valued at N27 million, five container loads of pharmaceuticals valued at N2.9 billion, 64 units of motorcycles used for smuggling valued at N565 million among others.
Yahaya who was angry with the activities of the economic saboteurs, however warned smugglers to embrace legitimate businesses as the Unit was ready to send them out of their illegitimate business.
He also disclosed that the seizures so far made was borne out of intelligence and hard work of eagle eye officers and men of the unit.
“My message to smugglers is that they should stop smuggling and embrace legitimate business because the FOU is ready to run them out of business,” he warned.
“We are always a step ahead of them through intelligence gathering and steadfastness. We won’t get tired until the Service suppresses smuggling finally from the South West,” he assured.