The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Apapa Command has said that between January and March 2022, it generated N34b to the Federal Government from agric exports.
WikkiTimes check shows that this is a N4b increase from the Command generated last year at the same period. The revenue profile of the Command in the first three months of 2022 stood at N264.54bn which is a significant increase of N104bn as against N159bn in 2021.
Yusuf Malanta, Customs Area Controller stated this in a press briefing.
Malanta said the Free On Board (FOB) value of the export is $87.992m from exportation of agricultural goods, which include mineral resources, steel, etc, as against N30.2bn (FOB value of $82.1m) between January and March 2021.
“This feat was made possible because of our officers’ creativity and leveraging on the service IT platform to ensure all revenue leakages have been mitigated, as well as sustaining the level of compliance by the importers/stakeholders in the clearance value chain,” he said.
In its anti-smuggling drive, the command recorded 46 seizures of various items with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N1,142,876,606.00, indicating 18 seizures more than 28 made in the corresponding months of the year 2021.
The seizures include unregistered medicaments such as tramadol and codeine syrup, unprocessed wood, used clothing, footwear, foreign parboiled rice and other sundry items that contravene sections 46 and 47 of Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) CAP C45 LFN 2004.
“Anti-smuggling activities have been a matter of central concern in the command, particularly with the activities of recalcitrant traders who are always looking for ways to undermine our system. The enforcement unit has been strengthened through strict monitoring, enhanced collaboration and sharing of credible intelligence with relevant government agencies to suppress smuggling activities to their barest minimum,” the Customs Area Controller said.
“At this juncture, let me reiterate that Apapa Command is always ready to assist in facilitating legitimate trade and ensuring that all forms of smuggling activities through a false declaration on import/export done in defiance to extant trade guidelines will be detected through our layers of control mechanism.”
He disclosed that some of the suspects arrested in connection with the seizures have already been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), while others are facing various criminal charges in court.
The Comptroller called on stakeholders to join forces with the command and ensure that items that are on the import/export prohibition list are strictly adhered to while urging them to prepare for the emerging realities of Customs examination through the Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) regime.
