Tag: customs

Some senior Customs officers have incurred the wrath of their Comptroller-General over alleged dereliction of duty.

They were queried over alleged non-completion of the Single Goods Declaration (SGD) form C 2010 by some exporters before the cargoes were shipped out of the country.

The query was contained in a circular sent to Deputy Comptrollers-General (DCGs); Assistant Comptrollers-General (ACG); Customs Area Controllers (CAC) and Heads of Unit.

The circular signed by the DCG in charge of Tariff and Trade, Mr Julius Nwagwu said: “Reports reaching headquarters indicate that anomalies are prevalent in the clearance of exports through the ports/borders.”

Some of the anomalies are:

• Non-completion of the Single Goods Declaration (SGD Form C 2010) prior to exportation;

• Exportation of goods without Clean Certificate of Inspection (CCI) issued by the pre-shipment inspection agent;

• Inadequate attention by valuation officers on issues relating to value of export goods; and

• Non-rendition of monthly returns of all exports to headquarters.

In the letter, Nwagwu said: “The above anomalies among others are contrary to the provisions of the extant regulations/guidelines, particularly as contained in circular Nos 053/2004 of November 24, 2004 and 002/2011 of April 11, 2011.

These circulars, he said, were still extant and must be followed to the letter by those directed to. Non-compliance, he said, would not be tolerated.

Investigation showed that circular No. 53/2004 was signed by then DCG in-charge of Tariff and Trade, Mr S. O. Ogundeji and copied to DCGs, Zonal Co-ordinators, CACs and all Heads of Unit through a November 24, 2004 letter.

The circular said certain procedure must be observed by officers and agencies involved in the documentation of clearing of goods for export from Nigeria.

Over 13 trailer loads of rice worth N96 million have been seized by the Customs.

The items were hidden in wooden boats on their way from Gbaji Yeke in Badagry Lagos State to Ere in Ogun State.

Gbaji-Ere River is a smuggling point where the smugglers use wooden boats to ferry rice, vehicles and other prohibited items into the country at night.

The river runs through Cotonou, Owode-Apa and Ere River in Ogun State; and Badagry Lagoon up to the Atlantic Ocean.

When The Nation visited the area, Customs officials were supervising the evacuation of the rice from the locally made boats into the trailers.

‘Rize Parboiled Premium, Origine Thailande, Exclusive Distribution in Benin, Prodena Saril, +22921315352’ and World Rice Thai Parboiled Rice 100 per cent sorted, Grade A Quality were inscribed with red and black paint on the white 50kg bags of rice. Its expiry date is 2014.

Customs National Public Relations Officer Mr Wale Adeniyi said the seizure was made by the Federal Operation Unit (FOU), Zone ‘A’, Ikeja in collaboration with the Western Marine command.

Mr Uche Ejesieme, the command’s Public Relations Officer, said Customs officers intercepted the smuggled rice at Badagry creeks.

He attributed the success of the operation to what he called careful planning.

The team that laid ambush for the smugglers, he said, was led by Yusuf M. A. and other officers for almost 13 days.

Ejesieme gave kudos to the people of Gbaji, mostly the Baale of Gbaji Yeke, Chief Emmanuel Kunwakalu, for their support.

But a member of the Gbaji community, who spoke with The Nation under the condition of anonymity, alleged that majority of those who engaged in the rice smuggling are ex-security officers and a few serving ones that have arms and ammunition.

He said if not for the involvement of the military in the evacuation of the rice, the exercise, would have led to a battle between Customs and the smugglers.

“The people that are involved in the business are very deadly and they have wasted so many people that have threatened their business. This river goes to Ere, in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State. That was where the boats were going before they were intercepted by the Customs.” “That axis,” I was told, “is more difficult for Customs to penetrate than this area because of its terrain.”

He attributed the surge in rice smuggling to the high price of the commodity in the market.

The Baale said the number of youths that have taken to smuggling has increased because of unemployment and urged the government to address the problem.

Smuggled goods, the monarch said, include second hand vehicles, textile materials, used cloths, bags, shoes, tyres, rice, frozen chicken, frozen turkey, vegetable oil, soap, furniture, sweets,” cigarettes, apples, pineapple and palm oil.

The President, Rice Importers and Distributors Association of Nigeria (RIMIDAN), Mr Tunned Owoeye, also told the newspaper that the country lost over N32 billion to rice smugglers last year.