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Tag: customs

  • Customs seizes N1.6b

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja, said, yesterday that it has intercepted prohibited goods with Duty Paid Value ( DPV) of over N1.6billion in Lagos.

    Addressing reporters in his office yesterday, Area Controller Mohammed Uba Garba said the unit intercepted 22 truckloads of foreign parboiled rice and 64 units of vehicles smuggled into the country from neighbouring countries.

    The rice, according to the Controller, has a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N164million; the vehicles valued at N1.3billion.

    He said: “After intensifying our operational modalities to meet up with the current smuggling tactics most especially as the Yuletide draws closer, we have intercepted various contrabands worth over N1.6billion. The seized items included 64 exotic vehicles mostly of which are brand new, 13,333 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 1,390 cartons of frozen poultry products, 835 jerry cans of vegetable oil, 15 parcels of Indian hemp, 1,101 pieces of used tyres, 205 bales of used clothing among others.”

    Garba said the unit would continue to enforce the federal government policy on importation of vehicles and rice through the land borders to encourage local production.

    “We need to support the federal government policy on rice, encourage local rice farmers, the millers and patronise our nutritional rice,” he said.

    Speaking on the vehicles intercepted, the CAC said about 57 vehicles allegedly smuggled into the country are evacuated from an estate in Lagos.

    He said: “Among the detained vehicles included three Lexus Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) (bullet proof), one Toyota Land cruiser (bullet proof), Nine Toyota Hilux, eight Toyota Hiace Bus, 26 Toyota Corolla, Nine Land Crusher Jeep, Five Toyota Camry, One Land Rover, One Nissan Sentara, One Paper jeep all 2017 model and One Sienna 2015 model and One Lexus RX 350. These 64 assorted vehicles alone have a DPV of N1.3billion.

    “While 57 vehicles were evacuated based on Intels along Omole estate, Ojodu and Olayiwole close Lekki Phase One, the remaining seven were intercepted while on information patrol along Ijebu-Ode express-way and Olorunda.”

    The Customs chief, however, challenged anyone with useful proof of payment of Customs duty to come forward to claim the seized vehicles.

    “As I speak with you, nobody has come forward to claim ownership because we doubt if they have any Customs papers on the vehicles, not to talk of the End-user Certificate for the bullet proof vehicles,” he said.

  • Customs destroys 700 cartons of seized poultry products – Official

    Customs destroys 700 cartons of seized poultry products – Official

    The Federal Operations Units (FOU) Zone ‘C’ Benin axis of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has destroyed 700 cartons of seized poultry products in Benin.

    According to Superintendent of Customs, Patrick Onyemem who supervised the destruction on Wednesday, the product has a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N10 million.

    Onyemem said that the consignment was intercepted by the operatives of the FOU on the Benin-Okada expressway as it was being smuggled into the state.

    He also said that the consignment was being conveyed in a Mercedes Actross with registration number KTU26LG when it was intercepted.

    He further said that the destruction was carried out in compliance with the Federal Government’s directive and policy on importation of frozen products which included turkey and chicken.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the destruction was done at the Custom’s outstation, Edo/Delta Command, and was witnessed by officials of the Service, NAFDAC, Police, NSCDC, Army, the defendants and newsmen.

    NAN recalls that on Monday, a similar exercise was carried out on 480 cartons of seized poultry products valued at N7.2 million.

    Read Also: Nigeria Customs seizes contraband worth N93m

  • Customs destroys smuggled goods

    Customs destroys smuggled goods

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) yesterday in Benin, Edo State, destroyed imported frozen poultry products seized on Benin/Ore axis with duty paid value of N7.2 million.

    The Officer-in-charge of the axis, Chief Superintendent of Customs Usman A. R., told reporters that the products were seized on November 30 by the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone ‘C’.

    Usman, represented by Superintendent of Customs Patrick Onyemem, said the seizure and destruction of the products was in compliance with the Federal Government’s policy on imported frozen poultry products.

    He said the products totalling 480 cartons were smuggled and conveyed to Benin in two vehicles – a Toyota Camry registered as AAA692ES and chassis number JT153SV1000165458.

    Usman said the other vehicle was a Volkswagen Passat marked BDG792AU.

    Officials of government agencies, including the Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) witnessed the destruction of the products.

  • Customs seizes 3,309 bags of rice from smugglers in Katsina

    Customs seizes 3,309 bags of rice from smugglers in Katsina

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit, Zone B, said it had seized no fewer than 3,309 bags of foreign rice from smugglers in November 2017.

    Its Comptroller, Alhaji Usman Dakingari, disclosed this on Friday in Katsina while briefing newsmen on the activities of the unit.

    He said that the unit also seized 209 cartons of spaghetti, 181 bags of sugar and 461 jerry cans of vegetable oil.

    He said other items seized included 79 cartons of mosquito coil, 157 bales of second-hand clothes and six vehicles pointing out that all the seized items have Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N652.9 million.

    He said that the items were seized from smugglers in Katsina and other states under the jurisdiction of the unit during the period under review.

    ‘’We will continue to ensure that foreign rice and other prohibited commodities are not smuggled into the country,’’ he said.

    Dakingari however expressed concern over the attitude of some people at border communities that engaged in the illegal smuggling activities as means of their livelihood.

    ‘’If you tell them that smuggling is bad they will tell you that what business do you want them to do or this is something they have inherited,’’ he said.

    He, therefore, stressed the need for other stakeholders to intensify efforts toward enlightening the border communities on the dangers associated with smuggling on the nation’s economy and health of the people.

    Read Also: Customs seizes harmful contraband in Ibadan

  • Reps to probe Customs import waivers from 2010 till date

    Reps to probe Customs import waivers from 2010 till date

    THE House of Representatives has mandated its committee on customs to investigate the handling of import duty revenues, waivers and bonds on import duties collected by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) from 2010 till date.The resolution was sequel to the passage of the prayers of a motion sponsored by a member, James Abiodun Faleke (APC, Lagos) and 14 others.

    The committee is also mandated to “determine the nature and extent of abuse of the Customs Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports (PAAR) by importers and officials of the Customs Service to recover the revenues due to the Federal Government but  which were not paid”.

    The House also empowered the committee to probe the abuse of import duty waivers given by the Federal Ministry of Finance and its effects on the economy and identify the companies or individuals that have refused to redeem the bonds even after clearing their imports.

    The committee is to conclude its assignment and report back to the House within 90 days for further legislative action.

    Moving the motion, Faleke said except those that were granted waivers and are on the prohibited list, the Nigeria Customs Service is mandated, among other things, to collect duties on all goods imported into Nigeria .

    According to the lawmaker,   the inability of the federal government to finance the 2017 budget and meet its other obligations made the Ministry of Finance to source for funds from local banks and the capital market through “Sukuk” etc. Meanwhile, there are leakages in revenue collections by the Nigeria Customs Service.

    “If the leakages are blocked and the perpetrators punished, Nigeria’s revenue base will increase and there may not be any need to source for funds of any type to fund infrastructural development in the country, he said.

    When Deputy Speaker Yussuf Lasun asked for a voice vote on the motion, it passed with a majority vote.

  • Reps investigate Customs import waivers

    Lawmakers in the Green Chamber yesterday mandated its Customs and Excise Committee to investigate the handling of import duty revenues, waivers and bonds on import duties collected by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) from 2010 till date.

    The resolution was sequel to the passage of the prayers of a motion sponsored by a member, Hon. James Abiodun Faleke (APC, Lagos) and 14 others.

    The committee is also mandated to “determine the nature and extent of abuse of the Customs Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports (PAAR) by importers and officials of the Customs Service in order to recover the revenues due to the Federal Government but  which were not paid.”

    The House further empowered the committee to probe the abuse of import duty waivers given by the Federal Ministry of Finance and its effects on the economy and identify the companies or individuals that have refused to redeem the bonds even after clearing their imports.

    The committee is to conclude its assignment and report back to to the House within 90 days for further legislative action.

    While moving the motion, Faleke said that except those that were granted waivers and are on the prohibited list, the Nigeria Customs Service is mandated, among other things, to collect duties on all goods imported into Nigeria.

    He said: “the Nigeria Customs Service customarily issues Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports which are used to assess duties payable on imported goods but the Reports are sometimes compromised by importers, thereby leading to under payment of duties in billions of Naira;

    “The Ministry of Finance gave series of duty waivers to companies in line with the policy of government to assist businesses, but in most cases, the waivers were used to import goods not listed on the approval, thereby depriving the government of the needed revenues;.”

    “Some importers, most times, issue bank and/or insurance bonds to Nigeria Customs Service in lieu of duty payments to enable the importers clear the imported goods immediately and thereafter expected to redeem the bonds by paying the appropriate duty rates, but information reveals that the Bonds are either partially redeemed or never redeemed at all.”

    According to the lawmaker,   the inability of the federal government to finance the 2017 budget and meet its other obligations made the ministry of finance to source for funds from local Banks and the capital market through “sukuk” etc., meanwhile there are leakages in revenue collections by the Nigeria Customs Service.

  • ‘Are we willing to tell Nigerians we have failed’

    ‘Are we willing to tell Nigerians we have failed’

    Comptroller General of Nigeria Custom Service, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali said yesterday that the Buhari government has not been able to move forward and fulfill its campaign promises to the Nigerian people because most of those calling the shuts in his government are those who never believed in his vision.

    Col. Ali’s position was supported by Plateau state governor, Simon Lalong who spoke the mind of governors saying the governors are not happy that they are left out of appointments being made by the government, saying such appointments are made without consulting with the governors.

    Speaking at the commissioning of the office complex of the Buhari Support Organisation in (BSO) in Abuja, Col Ali who is also the National Coordinator of the Organisation said that more than fifty percent of positions in the Buhari government were handled over to members of the PDP who fought against the actualisation of a Buhari Presidency.

    While lamenting the fate of members of the organizations who he said made serious sacrifices to ensure that Buhari became President, the Customs Boss said when the chips are down, those who were not part of the Buhari vision and are currently in government will abandon the ship, while members of the Organisation who sought the votes of Nigerians will be call to account for the failure of the government.

    He said: “We must agree that we cannot finish our four years without delivering and leaving something to be remembered for in this country for a long time to come. We have no problem with our President because he is on course.

    “But I must confess here that we have been infused by people who were not part of this journey and these people are the ones that calls the shut today.

    That is why we are derailing. If we had the right people who had the vision and have been there in and out, I believe that we will not be going the way we are going today.

    “It is my belief that those of us who have been in the trenches all these years to get good governance will surely be sleeping with belly ache everyday, especially in the recent past. Everyday, when you wake up, there is a story that makes you shiver.

    “We cannot, as a people who have fought and committed everything we had to bring this government to being sit back and allow things to happen the way they are happening. At the end of the day, the fingers will point at us because we were the ones who went to people and spools them to give us their votes.

    “These people that are calling the shuts today were not there and when the chips are down, they will disappear and melt within the system. We are the ones that will be asked to account for what happened.

    “Are we willing to face Nigerians and tell them that we have failed? I think this is the time for us to come together, create a system that is very robust enough to fight back and take back government in our hands and ensure that we deliver.

    “We believe that if you want to change the system, it will happen. Let me say that in the course of the jihad of the Prophet Mohammad, anytime they go out for a battle, they come back with loot, but these loot, as far as my own research told me is not distribute to everybody, but to those who took the sword and faced the enemies.

    “Today, with all sense of responsibility, I want to say that we have 50 percent of PDP in our government. How can we move forward with this load? How can we achieve our target with this load? It is a spoilt system and so. When you come in, you shake off everybody and bring in your own. That is what democracy is all about.

    “Today, we have members of PDP calling the shuts. That is what we will begin to fight for, we will fight for our right position, our vision and our mission for this government. I am sorry to deviate into politics, but it is very essential because we are a political Organisation. It is time for us to wake up from slumber and chat a course for this great nation and I believe that we can do it. May God help u and see us through.”

    “I will therefore ask my colleagues of the BSO to go back to the study room. This is a Commission, but it is also the beginning of the fight for good governance. We must get back to the trenches, draw our own battle plan and battle line. I enjoined you that the same commitment we had in 2015, I employ you to bear with us and commit yourself to a better future for Nigeria.

    “We will be calling on you from now on and we will be working day and night. We must do so because we want to save our name at the end of the day and the name of the President for what he is doing. Our President is on course and all we need is to ensure that we support him. What do we do? For those of us who believe in God, we must know that God is the first point of call.”

    While commending members of the Organisation for keeping hope alive, he said: “this is a gathering to rekindle what we started in 2015 and what we used as a vehicle to fight in the trenches, out of the torches, along the routes and in so many difficult terrains to see to the success of our vision and mission. Our vision then was to install a government that will bring about change in this country. Our motto and expression then was that we want change.

    “I want to commend Nigerians for sharing that same Vision with us. They decided to vote the government out and voted us in because of that vision of change. We are riding on that mantle of change today.

    “It is good to take us back on the memory lane. Some of us started this journey in 2011. There are those who started as far back as 2003 and are still in the tranches. I am sure that the 2007 veterans are still here, while some of us joined the train in 2011, while many others joined in 2015.

    “Why did we then sacrifice everything that we need and want? A lot of us have lost their jobs, others have lost their businesses. A lot of us sitting here today have nothing to do because they committed their time and resource working for the success of a change for a better Nigeria.

    “We did this not because of ourselves or any individual but because of our love for this great nation. Many of you can remember that we went through this because we are committed to a course and that whatever we eventually install will be something that we are committed to.

    “But let me say here without fear of being contradicted that I think half way through the journey, we are losing our core values. We are losing our vision and mission and I think that the idea of our being here today is to look critically at what we need to do to get back on track.

    “There is no doubt that we have derailed because we are not doing what we say we want to do. Why is it so? We need to find an answer to that. If we do find an answer, then what should we do to get us all back on track. We owe this great nation and the 180 million Nigerians the duty to give good governance. Good governance is what they voted for and good governance is what they expect to get and they serve that.

    “We therefore, as BSO, have a great task ahead of us. My dear comrades, the battle and the job starts now. We have won one battle by taking over power. But what we make of this power is very essential to us and to humanity.

    “Therefore, I want to take this opportunity to tell my colleagues here that we have to change the narratives. When we were our there Working and jumping on the street and reaching every corner, we were shouting change, change for a better Nigeria. Now, the key word is good governance for Nigerians.”

    Also speaking, Plateau state governor, Simon Lalong who shared the sentiments of the Custom Boss also lamented that appointments into government positions are made without recourse to the governors, adding that those who do not have the capacity to defend the actions of the President have been the ones benefiting from federal government to appointments.

    The governor said the government must be made aware that things are not working the way they should, saying “If things are wrong they are wrong, if they are right they are right. But it requires very courageous people to come out and say these thongs are wrong or they are right.

    “Let the Mr. President be aware that this is the time to do it because even as governors we are also complaining in our various state, we are saying it. We complained in our states that we sit down and we hear appointment made and then people start asking you as the governor where is this man coming from?
    “But when we turn right and turn left, we don’t know where such a person is coming from. Many people have complained. I’m sure governors have complained that we should be able to know who and who will Protect Mr. President and his administration.

    “When I heard that BSO is coming back again, I said is it not too late because if you allow people to grumble too much, you will see fight in several states and some of them are for a just course.

    Somebody suffered for the party, the person is not rewarded and you wake up to see another man who even fought you, the man who made you to lose your job is now being appointed and the one who suffered is sitting down. Sometimes he will be looking for tears to cry and the tears will not be there because they are dry.

    “Like our chairman said to me, it is not too late. This is the time to start because this is the time you will hear a lot of things coming. People who have not serve will come back and say I had serve this way, I had serve that way but the records are there. The records can not tell lie. If it is true that they served this way, they served that way let the record.”

  • PTAD: 13,150 Customs, Immigration, other pensioners on payroll

    The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has a record of over 13,150 verified pensioners and Next of Kins (NOKs) from the para – military services of Customs, Immigration and Prisons on its database, Executive Secretary, Sharon Ikeazor, has said.

    Mrs Ikeazor, who made this known in a statement to journalists, said the directorate has also paid all the pension increases including 33 per cent to all its pensioners except those who are not on the payroll, some NOKs and a few isolated cases.

    She stated that the pensioners are under the management of the Customs Immigration and Prisons Pension Department (CIPPD) of the Directorate and also under the Defined Benefit  Scheme (DBS).

    She noted that the Customs Immigration and Prisons Pension Department was first established by Decree 75 of 1993 as Customs Immigration and Prisons Pension Office (CIPPO) with the primary objective of managing pension funds for the benefit of retirees from the para – military services of Customs, Immigration and Prisons.

    She said  it was merged into PTAD in August 2013.

    She said: ‘’The responsibility of pension payment to retired officers was previously carried out by Office of Establishment and Pensions which is now known as the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF). However, in the year 1991, the police and para-military pension offices were created, leaving out only the civil service pensions to be handled by the OHCSF.

    “The office started operations in the year 1990 and was saddled with the responsibility of payment of retirement benefits i.e. gratuity and monthly pension to the officers who retired from the three services of Customs, Immigration & Prisons. The office was also responsible for the computation and payment of death benefits to Next of Kin (NOK) of officers who died while in service and for those officers who died after retirement but could not access their retirement benefits.”

    She pointed out that those officers who retired from the three services of Customs, Immigration & Prisons before the creation of CIPPO were later transferred from the OHCSF to CIPPO in 2004 and they are called Pre 91 pensioners.

    “CIPPO was merged with the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) in August 2013, and its responsibilities are now being handled by Customs, Immigration & Prisons Pensions Department (CIPPD).

    “CIPPD is responsible for the pension administration of the three para-military services – Customs, Immigrations and Prisons. The main objective of the department is to manage pension funds and ensure the timely payment of pensioner’s entitlement, stress – less dispensation of pension services to retirees from the paramilitary services and maintain fairness and integrity in the dispensation of pension related matters.

    “The department is headed by a director and divided into two main divisions namely,  Pension Accounts and Pension Administration. The Admin division is responsible for all administrative matters, pension complaints and pension records management; while accounts division is responsible for the department’s finances and pension payments. The department has an internal auditor who is tasked with the responsibility of checking all its operations and payments”.

    She explained that there are different categories of pensioners under the department.

    “The categories are Pre 1991, Ex Biafra Pardonees, S5 NOK and 56 NOK.. The Pre 1991 are pensioners that retired before the creation of the erstwhile CIPPO.  Some retired voluntarily on attaining 60 years of age or after 35 years of service. Post 1991 are pensioners that retired statutorily, voluntarily, involuntarily or compulsorily retired/downsized from 1991 to June 2007 who fall under PTADs mandate.

    “Ex Biafra Pardonees are the para-military officers who joined the Biafran Army during the civil war but were pardoned and granted amnesty by President Olusegun  Obasanjo in May 2000;S5 NOK are the NOK of officers who died a natural death.

    Speaking further she said:‘’There are two categories – for death while in service, the registered NOKs will be paid the gratuity and five years dependable benefit. However, if the death occurred after retirement, the registered NOKs will be paid the balance of the unpaid pension totaling five years post retirement; and S6 NOK are the NOK of officers who died in the course of duty while in active service. Here, the widow and up to six children up to the age of 18 will be entitled to monthly pensions and once they attain the age of 18 years the pension payment stops.’’.

  • Customs deploys over 800 officers to combat smuggling

    Customs deploys over 800 officers to combat smuggling

    ABOUT 800 senior officers  of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit ( FOU) Zone ‘A’ , Ikeja, have been deployed to the remote areas of major towns and villages around the border areas to increase the anti-smuggling war’s tempo.  This is to curb smuggling as we approach the Yuletide, it was learnt.

    The Unit, findings revealed, covers Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti and Osun states.

    FOU anti-smuggling strike team include the Lagos Roving, the CG Compliance and Patrol; all combing the nooks and crannies of the six states for smugglers.

    The deployment by the Unit Controller, Mohammed Uba Garba, it was gathered, emanated from the report that smugglers would be on rampage from the end of this month  till the end of December.

    Mohammed,  according to stakeholders, has mandated his officers to wage a relentless war against economic saboteurs in his area of jurisdiction.

    It was also gathered that the unit  has increased the  patrols on land and villages very close to the rivers and the sea, fortified the approved check points and other swampy areas around Ere, Ado, Alapoti, Seme, Ojo, Sibiri, Igbesa, Agbara, Badagry, Owode-Apa and other areas where operational boats and vehicles could not access with highly committed young senior officers.

    When The Nation visited the  Unit last Friday, Mohammed was seen directing some of his senior officers, who were on top of their operational vehicles and armed to teeth. They are to comb all the river banks linking the Atlantic Ocean from Lagos to Ogun, Oyo and Ondo states so that no smuggler will be able to use barges to smuggle rice and other prohibited items into the country.

    While some of the officers were sent to combat smugglers, who may want to use the rivers and the sea for their illicit business,  another set, it was learnt, has been mandated by Mohammed to comb the bush paths in their area of jurisdiction to find the new hide-out of smugglers, who specialised in bringing all prohibited items like second hand clothing, bags, shoes, frozen chicken, bags of rice, used tyres and other items through the land and the swampy area into the country.

    The over 800 dedicated officers, it was gathered, were instructed to also beam their searchlight on the villages around the border areas where the smugglers may want to use to bring in bags of rice and other prohibited items into the country.

    When The Nation visited Owode-Apa, Ado and Igbesa areas of Ogun State on Saturday, most of the residents of the area were seen complaining about the Customs officers  activities as most of their vehicles  were stopped on the road and searched.

    Some traders at Lusada, a town in the area, said gone were the days when small quantities of rice such as 10kg and 25kg per trip are stored in commercial quantity by the so-called travelers for onward shipment into markets.

    One of the traders, Mrs Badejo Adegoroye, said: “This is not a good time for scrupulous importers operating on Lagos-Ogun border stations  and its environs.”

    She confirmed that things have turned bad for importers, who engage in illicit trade with the new sophisticated methods introduced by the FOU officers.

    Other traders said it was difficult to deny the government the needed revenue or flood the country with  smuggled rice and other illicit  products.

    Findings revealed that officers of the Unit have put a check on the quantity of rice any traveler can bring into the country no matter how small it is.

    The move, investigation revealed, has made  Mohammed and his officers unpopular among many trans-border traders and villagers around the area.

    The anti-smuggling drive of the Unit  now stretchs to various swampy areas where vehicles could not access in addition to the visible patrols of the villages and proper manning of all approved checkpoints.

    The command has also increased foot patrol along the bush paths and raised its level of intelligence gathering for preventing, interdicting and uncompromising arrests of smugglers.

    Contacted, FOU’s Public Relations Officer, Jerry Attah, said the controller has set in motion a system that makes the fight against smuggling more serious.

    Although the image maker was not specific on the number of officers deployed, he was emphatic that all the officers in the Unit  are working together and operating as one.

    “You know we are almost at the end of October, this is the time most of the people, who engage in nefarious activities use to smuggle approved and un-approved imported items into the country through the land and sea. They do this to deny the Federal Government the needed revenue to boost the economy.

    “Our Controller is a career officer and once  the O/C Export at Zone A in TCIP, O/C Gate at Onne Area II, Port Harcourt, DC Valuation at Lilypond, DC Import KLT, TCIP and Ogun Area Command.

    “Under his watch, the anti-smuggling crusade has changed positively. He has provided inspirational leadership by living among his rank and file in the barracks unlike the previous Comptrollers, who preferred the comfort of their rented five-star apartments in the cities. This has endered him to his subordinates, who see him as one of them and trusted to lead most of the operations they have carried out.

    Officers of the command said no file stays on his table till the following day and responds promptly to every issue that comes up at the command.

    the area to desist as he said the Area Controller has directed that there must not be any hidden place for them to operate.

     

  • Fed Govt recovers N140b from Customs

    Fed Govt recovers N140b from Customs

    The probe by the joint Senate Committees on Customs, Excise and Tariff and Marine Transport has led to the recovery of N140 billion, Senator Hope Uzodinma,  said yesterday.

    Uzodinma, who is chair of the committee spoke yesterday while presenting an interim report on the investigation of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to the House.

    The lawmaker highlighted wrong tariff classification, misuse of procedure codes, abuse of diplomatic cargo, falsification of import documentation and undervaluation, among others, as causes of revenue loss.

    He said the infractions distort the economic profile of the country and place extensive pressures on Nigeria’s foreign reserves.

    “As a result of this exercise, some collection banks have made additional remittances to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the tune of N128 billion and evidence of payment and receipt have been received by the committee.

    “From the selected 60 companies, over N12 billion payments have been made to government voluntarily by the companies based on their own internal self-audit after receiving documented evidence of their culpability from our committee.

    “Distinguished colleagues, it is instructive to note that despite all payments made so far made, none of the approved collection banks or the selected companies has fully cleared the established liabilities against them,” Uzodinma said.

    He added that the joint committees would produce a more comprehensive report within eight weeks.