The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NCS

  • Customs sacks 52 officers

    •Urges importers to key into PAAR

    The Management of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has approved the dismissal of 52 officers for corruption, warning importers and clearing agents still handling non-compliant cargoes to key into the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) programme of the Federal Government or face its wrath.

    The dismissal order, findings revealed, had been approved by its Comptroller-General Alhaji Dikko Abdulahi based on a report.

    The Customs boss, it was gathered, told the top executives of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), who met with the management team of the service last week, in Abuja, urging them to tell their members to stop finding faults in PAAR.

    The meeting, it was learnt, was called by Customs to find solutions to some of the challenges confronting ANLCA at ports.

    A senior official of ANLCA at the meeting, who craved anonymity, said an effort by him and other clearing agents to plead on behalf of the affected officers was rejected by Dikko.

    The CGC, it was gathered, said  when he first received the unsubstantiated news, he called about 15 senior officers among them and warned them one by one to desist from the act but all to no avail until the new report about their involvement was brought to his attention.

    The Customs boss, it was gathered, also told the ANLCA chiefs that he needed to take the drastic step against the affected officers to serve as a deterrent to others.

    Dikko, it was learnt, however, told the visiting ANLCA chiefs that he was happy with the crop of Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU) officers.

    He described the CIU officers as the best ever, praising them for displaying professionalism in their work.

    The ANLCA President, Prince  Olayiwola Shittu, said PAAR was working.

    He said the initial challenges faced by the agents were caused by human errors which had been addressed by the Customs.

  • Customs goes tough as Yuletide approaches

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme and Western Marine Commands have raised the anti-smuggling tempo by deploying senior officers to the remote areas of the land and part of the Atlantic Ocean to deal with the smugglers during the yuletide, investigation has revealed.

    The working relationship between the two commands, it was gathered, emanated from the report that the smugglers would on rampage from the beginning of this month till the end of December.

    The Area controllers of the two commands, findings revealed, have increased the current  patrols on land and the sea, fortified the approved check points and other swampy areas in Seme, Ojo, Sibiri, Igbesa, Agbara, Badagry, Owode-Apa and other areas where operational boats and vehicles could not access with highly committed young and youthful senior officers.

    When The Nation visited the Western Marine command last Friday, its Acting Area Controller Johnson Gabriel was directing some of his senior officers who were on top of their operational boat and armed to teeth to comb all the rivers linking the Atlantic Ocean from Lagos to Ogun, Oyo and Ondo states so that no smuggler would be able to use barges to smuggle rice and other prohibited items into the country.

    While the Western Marine officers are set to confront the smugglers at the sea, officers and men at the Seme command, it was learnt, have been mandated by their Controller Willy Egbudin    to comb all the bush paths in their area of jurisdiction to find the new hide-out of smugglers who specialised in bringing into the country 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.

    Over 50 dedicated officers deployed by the two commands, it was gathered, were instructed to also beam their searchlight on land and sea travelers around the border areas who might want to bring in bags of rice and frozen foods under the pretext that they are meant for personal consumption.

    When this reporter visited the Seme border yesterday, most of the vehicles operating around the area were stopped on the road, and Customs officers were see collecting contrabands including small quantity of rice and cartons of frozen from traders and those who claimed to be travelers.

    Customs sources at the border told the paper that such small quantities of rice ranging between 10kg and 25kg per trip are stored in commercial quantity by the so-called travelers for onward shipment into markets.

    Findings revealed that the command has put a check on the so-called travelers by seizing every bag of rice from persons coming into the country no matter how small it is.

    The move, investigation revealed, has made the area controller, Comptroller Willy Egbudin and his officers unpopular among many trans-border traders and travelers around the areas.

    The anti smuggling drive of the two commands now stretch to various swampy areas where vehicles could not access, in addition to the visible patrols of the waters and the land 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, its Public Relations Officer, Mr Ernest  Olottah said the controllers have set in motion a system that makes the fight against smuggling more serious.

    Although the image maker was not specific on the collaboration between its command and the Western Marine, he was emphatic that all the Customs commands across the country are working together and operating as one.

    “You know we are in the first week of November, 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 the sea. They do this to deny the Federal Government the needed revenue to boost the economy.

    “But let me tell you that all our officers across the country have been put on the red alert by our Comptroller General, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi to reduce to the barest minimum the activities of the smugglers during this season and beyond and we are determined to carry out his order and as directed.”

    Olottah warned all smugglers operating in the area through the land or the sea to desist as he said that there no hidden place for them operate.

  • Customs rakes in over N79b in Apapa, Seme

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command has generated about N78.6 billion in the third quarter of the year the Comptroller, Eporwei Edike, has said.

    Edike, told The Nation, that N30.5 billion was generated in September, while N22.7 billion and N25.5 billion came in July and August, respectively.

    Also, the Seme Command of the Service added N963.7m revenue in September.

    The amount generated by the two commands is well over N79 billion.

    The Command’s Public Relation Officer (PRO), Ernest Olottah, said the revenue was N182 million higher than the N781 million generated in August.

    He attributed the increase to higher trading activities and reduction of smuggling activities in the area.

    “In the month of September, the Command generated higher revenue because trading activities were higher than in the previous months.

    “Willy Egbudin, the Customs Area Controller of the Command, has deployed all personnel and available logistics on intensive vehicular and foot patrols along the border lines and all routes, including non-motorable areas.

    “These patrols and other anti-smuggling activities are paying off as unrepentant smugglers are fleeing the area.

    “Also, we are heading towards the tail end of the year so trading activities would increase and this would enable us to surpass our monthly target of N1.1 billion,” he said.

    He said the revenue generated in  September was the highest monthly collection made by the Command between 2013 and 2014, adding that the Command would realise the N13bn revenue target for the current year.

    He said the Command made 31 seizures in the month under review, including rice, vehicles, narcotics, frozen poultry products and general goods.

  • Customs to fight smugglers with armoured tanks

    Customs to fight smugglers with armoured tanks

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has deployed three Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) to combat smugglers between Lagos and Ogun states, The Nation has learnt.

    The APCs, findings revealed, were deployed following a gun battle between operatives of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos and smugglers of rice, used vehicles and other prohibited items through illegal routes in both states.

    The, vehicles, according to sources, will be in the bush showing the ember months and the Eid-El-Kabir celebration.

    The FOU, findings revealed, has identified the flashpoints and other illegal routes used by smugglers in the Southwest and are now on aggressive patrol to stop them and boost the nation’s economy.

    Officers of the zone, it was gathered, have uncovered a hideout in  Igbesa Creek, Ogun State where  11,264 bags of illegally imported 50kg parboiled rice were seized from smugglers last week.

    The value of the rice and the expected duty payable on it, according to a source, is over N100 million.

    The Area Controller, FOU, Adamu Turaki, it was gathered, mandated his officers to destroy all the canoes, the smugglers’  storage facilities and the out board engines used in transporting the rice through Gbaji River to the country. This, he believed, would frustrate any future attempt by the smugglers.

    Contacted, Turaki said his officers intercepted the rice following intelligence report that smugglers were said to be planning to use the Igbesa creeks to braing in rice through Benin Republic before the Eid-El-Kabir celebrations.

    After receiving the report, Turaki said, his officers in the Lagos Roving Team Operations headed by Assistant Controller (AC) Adamu Mohammed sprang into action.

    “It is good to note and point out here that the Igbesa creek is reputed as both volatile and inaccessible particularly for Customs in the past. Several attempts to raid the place before now were met with serious opposition from the smugglers sabotaging the nation’s economy.

    “We must also place on record that they have, in the past, attacked Customs patrol teams that have attempted to stop their nefarious activities. I am therefore, happy that the Lagos Roving Team led by AC Adamu Abubakar Mohammed was able to deal with the smugglers and make the seizure.

    “On arrival at the scene of the crime, we started evacuation, even though we were faced with the challenge of unmotorable terrain. On completion of evacuation, I ordered the destruction of all the instruments of crime like the wooden boats, their storage facilities, out board engines and other items to deny them any future attempts.

    “It is actually amazing to understand the naivety of the Baale of the community, who from all indications seemed not to know that smuggling is an economic crime. He told us point blank that smuggling is their only means of survival and that they use the proceeds from it to develop their community.

    “I was perplexed when he told me that because he doesn’t know the implication. Therefore, I want to use this opportunity to urge you and your colleagues working in the print and electronic houses to help us educate and sensitise the local communities on the dangers of smuggling and its effect on the nation and its economy,” Turaki said.

    Turaki also said Customs’ Controller-General, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi gave the unit an express permission to use its APC for the anti-smuggling operations in view of the volatile nature of the terrain.

    “These tanks were rolled out with the express permission of the CGC, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, who clearly understands the nature of such assignment. The Lagos Roving Team met stiff opposition from the smugglers, hence the need for reinforcement from the neighbouring Commands of Ogun and Seme, as well as the Military, Navy and others, who provided security for the evacuation of the consignment.

    “The rampaging smugglers were contained by our operatives, who brought the experiences from their various trainings to bare. Even though the smugglers engaged our operatives in a shootout, the combined team of our operatives over powered them with their superior fire power.

    The Controller thanked Alhaji Dikko and his management for the support the unit has received.

    Turaki said his officers and men are fully prepared to take the war against smuggling to the deadliest and most volatile parts of the southwest.

    He attributed the welfare programmes of the CGC, which included motivation, remuneration, training and re-training, provision of functional patrol vehicles, arms and ammunition and the general well being of all officers and men of the service to success recorded so far.

    Turaki promised that the unit will strategise on how to sustain its anti-smuggling tempo particularly, in the ember months to guide against complacency.

    “As daunting as the challenge of suppressing smuggling may be, we will continue to face it with unrelenting determination and will remain resolute in our attempt to suppress it to the barest minimum. The relentless commitment and tireless effort of officers and men of this unit is quite commendable,” Turaki said.

  • Controller preaches cleanliness at border

    The Area Controller, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Seme Command, Mr Willy Egbudin, has urged private companies operating at the border to keep the place clean.

    Speaking at the Customs/Community Relations meeting in Seme, the Customs chief said he was not happy concerning the issue of not keeping the border environment clean.

    He also advised banks operating in the area to tidy their environment to prevent epidemic outbreak.

    “The environment of some of the private companies that operate here in Seme is in disgusting state and this isn’t good for everyone who works here.

    “It becomes worse whenever it rains because the whole environment will be flooded and submerged in water, and people will not have access to the bank for weeks.

    “Every organisation should learn how to keep its environs clean because hygiene plays an important role in keeping us healthy.

    “I have received so many complaints from people about the state of the banks and I have spoken to the representatives of the banks, and they promised to look into it, but nothing has been done.

    “They should speed up action or at least make an interim solution in order to make the road accessible to the banks,” he said.

    He assured members of the community that the Customs Clinic is well equipped to take care of their medical needs.

    “The clinic is well equipped and has all the facilities needed to take care of your medical needs.You should use the clinic frequently because it is also yours,” he explained.

    The meeting was attended by representatives of banks and various chiefs of various communities in Seme and Badagry.

  • Customs rakes in N2.9b

    Customs rakes in N2.9b

    The Kano/Jigawa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has generated N2.93 billion and seized goods worth  N400,000.

    Its Area Comptroller, Abbas Umar, said the amount was generated in the last seven months.

    Umar, who spoke at a stakeholders’ forum in Kano, said the Command recorded the seizure of dangerous drugs, including rice, vegetable oil, spaghetti and mosquito coils, adding that military camouflage uniforms and boots were among the items impounded at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.

    He explained that the confiscation of the Army uniforms was significant because of the security situation in the country.

    While appreciating the patronage of the business communities in Kano and Jigawa states, he noted that Kano is the commercial hub of the entire North, adding: “An importer can bring his goods, process his documents and pay duty in Kano and have his goods examined and released just as it can be done at the ports.”

    Umar said the forum was organised to enlighten and sensitise the public on the new guidelines and procedures on import and export trade, and the benefits derivable from the fast-track system introduce by Customs for the industrial sectors.

    He explained that the Customs management led by Comptroller-General, Abdullahi Dikko Inde, has made stakeholders engagement a cardinal principle of the Service, pointing out: “It is in this spirit that this forum is being held in Kano to enable us have a cross-fertilisation of ideas in carrying out the core responsibilities of the Service of which facilitation of trade is a major flank,” he said.

    Some of the papers delivered at the forum dwelt on import/export procedures, Nigeria trade hub as a veritable tool for trade facilitation and fast-track and its benefits.

    The event was attended by the representatives of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), NAFDAC, Immigration Service, Kano-based business men, importers, exporters and other stakeholders.

    Meanwhile, the Sokoto/Kebbi/ Zamfara Area Command of the NCS, has seized 600 cartons of Gold Seal Cigarettes with a duty-value of over N73.45 million.

    Its Area Controller, Ahmed Isyaku, said the Command intercepted the items because the owner failed to pay the specified Customs’ duties.

    “The commodity was seized not because it was a contraband, but because the owner did not pay the prescribed duty,” Isyaku, said, adding that the cigarettes were seized in an articulated vehicle on the Gusau-Tsafe road by operatives on patrol.

    He said one suspect connected with the goods had been apprehended and is awaiting prosecution.

    He said Command also seized 1,050 cartons of frozen fish, worth over N20 million, adding that the frozen fish has been destroyed.

    “The destruction had generated panic in certain quarters associating the fish with the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). I wish to use this medium to clarify the air that by no means was that frozen fish associated with any disease.

    “That fish was destroyed in that manner because that is what the law stipulated, the importer contravened all the requirements for fish importation, hence the interception and the destruction,” he said.

  • Customs deploys over 90 officers to combat smuggling at Yuletide

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Federal Operation Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’ has deployed over 90 officers to comb most of the unapproved routes in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states as the Muslim Eid-l-Kabir festival is fast approaching, The Nation has learnt.

    Its Area Controller, Turaki Usman Adamu, it was gathered, took the step to reduce the smuggling of rice and other prohibited items during the yuletide.

    Adamu, it was learnt, had also directed that any vehicle intercepted by his officers would no longer be on detention list, but be forfeited to the Federal Government.

    Sources close to the command said the aim was to discourage the influx of vehicles, which may be used for smuggling before, during and after festivals.

    Officers of the zone, a source said, had been positioned in strategic locations to deal with smugglers who might attempt to bring into the country all prohibited items.

    Turaki is employing measures to make smuggling unattractive and un-lucrative for those engaged in the illegal business, it was learnt.

    Officers of the zone, findings revealed, had stepped up their anti- smuggling efforts to boost the nation’s revenue.

    The zone seized over 700 prohibited goods.

    The seizures, investigation revealed, included rice, frozen poultry products, vegetable oil, used tyres, fridges, spaghetti/noodles and other goods with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of over N936 million.

    FOU officers, it learnt, also apprehended more than 100 suspects.

    A senior official of the command, who craved anonymity, said the area controller had vowed to make the remaining days to the Eid-l-Kabir Festival tough for smugglers.

    “Over 90 officers and men of the zone have been directed go the extra mile in dealing with the smugglers in view of the fast approaching Muslim festival and the adverse effects of their illegal activities on the security and economy of the country.

    “The unit will continue to justify the confidenc which the Federal Government reposed on us. The remaining part of the year will witness a serious boost in our anti-smuggling crusade.

    “The area controller has assured compliant importers that they will always receive the support of the unit while those who specialized in illegal trade and smuggling will have bad stories to tell before, during and after the festival.

    “The Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’ Ikeja-Lagos is the hub and flagship Command of anti-smuggling in the Nigeria Customs Service. The Unit among other responsibilities is vested with the task of suppressing smuggling, facilitation of legitimate trade and monitoring compliance with the fiscal policies of the Federal Government in terms of trade.

    “Our areas of coverage remain the states in the Southwest namely: Lagos, Ogun, Oyo/Osun, Ondo and Ekiti. Some of these states have wide landscape in terms of geographical latitude and as such the task of policing them effectively requires resilience, commitment, dedication and strategic planning.

    “It is, therefore, in view of these critical roles that the unit continues to evolve action plans which were tailored towards ensuring that our effort in actualising our core mandate is not jeopardised by some unpatriotic elements in the country whose stock in trade is to circumvent the laws guiding import and export.

    “In realisation of the need to deal with such scenario, we have put appropriate operational measures in place to deal decisively with the antics of smugglers during the yuletide and beyond,” the official said.

    The Zone Public Relations Officer Uche Ejesieme confirmed that the Area Controller had directed all officers and men of the unit to be at alert as the Muslim festival draw near.

    “The truth is that our officers are combat ready to arrest anybody who may attempt to do illegal business in our ports or border stations.

    “Our officers are everywhere within the zone to suppress smuggling activities and deal with smugglers. From Lagos to Ekiti, our officers are there patrolling 24 hours to prevent smuggling of rice, tokunbo vehicle and other prohibited items through the porous borders.

    Although Ejesieme refused to disclose the number of their officers on patrol, he confirmed that his boss has deployed his officers to man all routes.

  • Customs loses over N25b to duty waivers

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) lost over N25.8 billion to waivers and exemption between January and May, The Nation has learnt.

    The Federal Government was said to have granted the waivers and exemptions to mining, construction, power, agriculture and health concerns.

    Sources said the Customs was unable to collect the revenue on the items on which there were  waivers, adding that it lost N55.96 billion, N55.34 billion and N59.42 billion to import waivers in 2011, 2012 and last year.

    But, an official of the Ministry of Finance, who asked not to be named, said the Federal Government granted the waivers because of the need to improve the agriculture/mining sectors and medical services, in addition to increasing power generation, promoting family planning, and raising the standard of education.

    A source said Indorama Eleme Fertiliser and Chemicals Limited got N10.5 billion waiver, it is the highest beneficiary.

    A breakdown of the amount, it was learnt, showed that N6.96 billion was waived for Indorama on machinery, equipment and spare parts; the balance was waived on fertiliser catalysts and chemical pile.

    Chevron Nigeria Limited is the second highest beneficiary with N4.87 billion waived on machinery, equipment and pipelines; followed by Galaxy Backbone, with N2.49 billion on Information and Communications Technology equipment.

    United Cement Company of Nigeria and NIPCO Plc also got waivers of N1.91 billion and N1.02 billion for the importation of machinery, equipment and spare parts.

    Other major beneficiaries are the Borno State Government, which got N984.79 million waiver for agricultural machinery and Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without borders), N568 million for medical supplies.

    Justifying the waivers, the official said they were incentives used to support the private sector because of some of the regulatory challenges in the domestic business environment.

    According to him, the sectors that benefited from waivers are hospitality, power, aviation, agricultural machinery, solid minerals equipment, gas-using equipment, steel and manufacturing.

    “There are also additional programmes, such as the Export Expansion Grant Scheme designed to promote non-oil exports. These sectors are seen as strategic areas, which can stimulate growth, support diversification of the Nigerian economy, and create jobs for Nigerians.

    “In the past, waivers were granted to individual businesses in an approach that resulted in rent-seeking behaviours and an uneven playing field for other businesses. It was precisely the need to stop such a discretionary approach that led to reforms by the Economic Management Team under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    “A sector-wide waiver policy was introduced to provide specific incentives for some strategic, job-creating sectors. Under this regime, all businesses in a sector have access to the same incentives.

    “In addition, some waivers and exemptions make up for gaps in our economy; for example, waivers to bring in vehicles for sporting events and conferences,” the official said.

    When asked to speak on the implication of the waivers on the amounts that should go to the Federation Account and the seven per cent revenue that must accrue to Customs, he said: “We have to weigh the balance between putting money into the Federation Account, collecting Customs revenues and providing jobs for the army of the youth in the country by providing the necessary incentives to private sector operators to stimulate growth and development. The government felt it has responsibility to perform in terms of job creation and see to the local production of some of the goods we consume as nation.”

  • Customs generates N6.4b in six months

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Zone ‘B’, generated over N6.4 billion between January and June.

    The amount represents 74.51 per cent of the total revenue target of the command.

    The Customs zonal coordinator, Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG) Ade Dosumu, said between January and June, the Zone generated N6,801,605,489.92, which is more  than N4,442,178,638.35 generated last year.

    Dosumu spoke when the Customs’ Deputy Comptroller-General in-charge of Research and Policy, Mr.  Augustine Chukwuma Nwosu, visited the zone.

    He told the visiting Customs chief that the Zone is strategic because of the vast area it covers, which has  inland container terminals, excise factories and international airports.

    The zone’s success, Dosumu said, followed the collaboration and good relationship with stakeholders; synergy with other security agencies; good relationship with the host communities; effective supervision and sensitisation of officers to avoid any form of revenue leakages.

    Added was introduction of Pre-Arrival Assessment Report, PAAR by the Controller-General, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi.

    “Despite its highly rated performance, Zone B of Nigeria Customs Service faces enormous challenges, which include the need for additional Customs Procedure Code (CPC) in some of the Area Commands within the Zone. Zone B also lacks the needed logistics to maintain scanning sites. Moreso, due to security challenges in the Zone, the revenue generation capacity is grossly affected.

    “Mob attacks on officers at dangerous borders within the Zone remain a threat to smooth operation, coupled with incessant strikes by insurgents in most areas covered by Zone B,” he said.

    He, however, said “despite daunting constraints, officers of the Zone have not been deterred in the pursuit of their statutory responsibilities.

    He added: “The officers and men of the Zone are so determined to pursue the goals of maximum revenue collection and suppression of smuggling with commitment in line with the efforts of the Comptroller-General of Customs and his management team.”

    Also, the Area Comptroller of Kano/Jigawa Command, Abbas Umar said his Command has made significant progress between January and June this year.

    “Since I assumed duty in February, 2014, the revenue collection in the Command has been rising steadily. Our revenue target for the year 2014 is N4.2 billion. So far, the Command has generated a total of N2,520,000,000 in the last seven months.

    “In percentage terms, it means we have realised 57 per cent of our revenue target when compared to N1,191,379,068.17, which was collected last year during the same period. Therefore, there is a remarkable improvement. Our successes, therefore, can be attributed to hard-work, dedication and commitments by our officers and men of the Command.”

    Nwosu said he was impressed at the level of progress made by the zone in terms of revenue generation and anti-smuggling activities, despite mounting security and other challenges facing the officers of the zone.

    He promised to ensure that the zone continues to receive needed logistics and other support from the headquarters, and urged officers and men of the zone to shore up their effort in the revenue generation and war against smugglers.

  • Customs seizes container laden with expired drugs in Lagos

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) yesterday intercepted a container laden with expired drugs and other pharmaceutical  items at the  Lagos port.

    The items were seized at the Port and Terminal Multipurpose Services Limited (PTML), Tin-can Island Port, by its Area Comptroller, Mr Folorunsho Adegoke.

    He said the container was shipped into the country from the United States (U.S.) by a non-governmental oganisation (NGO)  as personal effect discovered during physical examination  by  his men.

    According to the Adegoke, the NGO  was given duty waiver to import the items as donation but expressed shock when it discovered that most of the imported medicines have expired, while few were on the brinks of expiration.

    It was discoverd that majority of the imported drugs have expiry date of  2011, 2012 and April 30 this year.

    The imported items included Shiley 6 DCT, Syringe, Novaplus, hand gloves, N-92 particulate respirators, Argon, Nanny clothes, Leparoscopy pack, crape bandages, wheel chairs, Monochrome printer, computers, hospital mattresses , furniture, lab equipment among others.

    The items were imported into the country in container number CCNU 47007745GI.,

    Adegoke,  who displayed the items, said the drugs were  mixed up with medical equipment and other items in a 40 foot container.

    Although, the area comptroller did not give the value of the items,  sources close to the Command alleged that it was over N20million.

    Speaking on the occasion, the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Paul Orhii, who was represented by the Director, Port Inspection, Moreen  Ebigbeyi said the agency has taken over the items inside the container for destruction, promising that the importer will not go unpunished.

    She said the agency was happy that Customs intercepted the expired drugs at port because it would be harmful to Nigerians if allowed to be cleared by the dubious U.S. importer.

    She said the NGO got approval for the importation of specific drugs that would expire in 2015 and beyond but went ahead to bring expired drugs into the country.

    “It is very expensive to destroy drugs abroad because of the environmental laws and that is why the items were shipped into our country. The Federal Government will not pay for the destruction of these drugs, the importer will pay for it,” she said.