- FOU Customs Generate N8.6bn Revenue in Six Months
The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A,’ has announced revenue generation of over N8.6bn between January and June.
The command stated this in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Jerry Attah.
It said that the amount was generated from its anti-smuggling operations and interventions which led to interceptions of various contraband and duty payments and demand notices recovery on vehicles and general goods from seaports, airports and border stations.
The command put the amount realised from interception of contraband during the period at N8.2bn and the amount recovered from duty underpayments and demand notices at N405m.
It added that 107 suspects were arrested in connection with 596 different seizures, comprising 58 trailers of foreign parboiled rice, 167 units of exotic vehicles, 8,987 cartons of frozen poultry products, 4,586 jerry cans of vegetable oil, 3,463 cartons of different pharmaceutical/medicaments, 370 parcels/98 sacks of Indian hemp and various general merchandise.
It noted that among the seizures was the interception of 460 sacks of pangolin scales weighing 12, 264kg and 218 elephant tusks, making it the highest seizure of such endangered species in the history of the command.
According to the command, the seizure of the pangolin scales brought commendation from the Comptroller-General of Customs Col. Hameed Ali (Retd.) and a visit from the Minister of State for Environment, Mallam Ibrahim Usman, who was accompanied by the United Nations Charter of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species delegates led by the Chief Legal Affairs, CITES headquarters, Geneva, Mr Juan Carlos.
“The seized pangolin and elephant tusk alone is valued at N2.4bn with two Chinese nationals as suspects,” it noted.
The Controller, NCS, FOU, Mohammed Garuba, was quoted as saying that though smuggling was a global phenomenon that could not be eradicated entirely, all hands must be on deck to reduce its occurrence.
