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Tag: Nigeria Customs Service

  • Senate accuses CBN, NNPC, others of frustrating passage of 2018 budget

    Senate accuses CBN, NNPC, others of frustrating passage of 2018 budget

    The Senate Wednesday said that the refusal of key government officials to honour its invitation for the consideration of templates contained in the 2018 budget is hampering its plan to pass the budget before the end of December 2017.

    The upper chamber specifically named the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Mr. Godwin Emefiele, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru and Controller General, Nigeria Customs Service, Hameed Ali as some of those who failed to honour its invitation.

    The Director, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Director, National Bureau of Statistics, were also listed to have refused to appear before its committee to provide information that would aid the Senate to pass the budget on time.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi raised the alarm at a news briefing yesterday in Abuja.

    Abdullahi said that the Senate is disturbed by a situation where heads of ministries, departments and agencies are invited by the Senate in relation to the 2018 budget without the government official honouring the invitation.

    He noted that the joint Senate committee on Appropriation, Finance and National Planning held a crucial meeting on Tuesday to consider the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) where some heads of key MDAs were invited to throw light on the MTEF.

    He said that CBN governor, NNPC GMD, Customs Controller General, Director DPR and Director, National Bureau for Statistics who were duly invited failed to honour the invitation.

    The Senate’s spoke person said that the zeal of the upper chamber to pass the budget before the end of the year was being constrained by the action of the key agency officials.

    He said that some agency heads decided to send lowly placed officers who cannot be held responsible for any resolution.

    Insisting that it is important that the government top officials honour their invitation, Abdullahi said that dispatching lowly placed officers to stand in for them does not help matter.

    He said that nothing could be more important than the annual budget of a country “but these people decided to stay away.

    Asked whether the development would affect passage of the 2018 budget before the end of the year, Abdullahi said: “We are reporting back to the people of Nigeria the hurdle we are facing in the process of trying to meet the target. For me, I cannot give you any concrete commitment. What we are doing is to report back to the people.”

    Abdullahi said: “We want to report that the Senate is disturbed by a new trend where heads or chief executives of critical institutions who should play a critical role in this budget process but who choose to ignore the invitation by the Senate to appear before it for deliberation.

    “Specifically yesterday when we had a deliberation, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning was around. But based on the discussion we were supposed to have, to look at the revenue projections which are the basis for the MTEF, I want to report here that the GMD of NNPC refused to show up. Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria refused to show up. The Comptroller General of Customs refused to show up. The Director General of the National Bureau of Statistics refused to show up. And the Director of DPR refused to show up.

    “The question to ask here is this: if the national budget is very important and all of us depend on the resources of the country to run our businesses, what other business could be more important than looking at this very critical assignment for this country.

    “When you decide to send a representative that is powerless; that cannot answer critical questions; that cannot provide critical insight, it is as good as not showing up. And some of them never even sent anybody to represent them.

    “It is important that we report this because, overall, the media will still come back to us asking what progress are we making and why are we slow in taking decisions. I must make this very clear. We are trying our best and we want to see what progress we can make but we are constrained by some of these types of decisions or actions by some chief executives from the Executive side. Let it also be said that some people are not giving maximum cooperation to the National Assembly for us to do our job.

    “For example, on the issue revenue projections, where there are shortages, we will look at the performance in 2017 to see what informed the projection for 2018. But where these people are not there, how do you get answers to the things that agitate your mind? We are worried about this development and we want to urge all those who are responsible for some of these critical assignments must begin to realise that when the National Assembly is calling them, it is a national duty; it is a constitutional duty and they must take it seriously.

    “It is in anticipation of these kinds of questions that we are reporting back to you. The hurdles we are meeting in the process; when the National Assembly seeks for answers from the Executive, I think we should get those answers. That way, the process will not be impeded. I cannot make any concrete commitment because as much as we have our own internal conditions that are within our control, we also have external variables that seem to be beyond our control. One of such external variables is what I am reporting to you today.

    “It is not pleasant that when we commit to do our job, somebody is summoned and there is no response or send someone who is as good as not coming. If we ask an officer (certain questions) and they tell us they have to go back to confirm (the facts), then you have not sent an officer. If you send an officer who has full authority, when we ask then to explain issues, they can; if we ask them to make commitments, they can make it.

    “For the budget, what we are trying to say is that it is serious enough for all of these chief executives to honour the National Assembly by their presence so that we can look at these issues critically. In doing so, they will be honouring the request by their principal and our overall President and Commander-in-Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Meanwhile Joint Committee on Finance, Appropriation and National Planning and Economic Affairs laid the report of 2018-2020 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper for consideration and adoption.”

    The MTEF and FSP are the plant upon which the budget estimates are built.

    Its adoption will pave the way for the consideration of the 2018 budget.

  • Lagos: Customs seizes three trucks of fake drugs

    Lagos: Customs seizes three trucks of fake drugs

    The Nigeria Customs Service ( NCS) has intercepted three container loads of fake drugs in  Lagos.

    The drugs, which included Acipep, Lemdafil and Ciprogyl were seized by the officers of the Federal Operation Unit ( FOU) Zone ‘A’ Ikeja.

    The Unit, it was learnt, has been able to increase the tempo of its seizures based on the credible information and superior Intelligent report given to the Comptroller by the Customs Intelligence Unit ( CIU)  officers attached to him.

    The value of the three containers of fake drugs,  cables and other contraband seized by the Service based on the Intelligence report from the CIU officers is over N356million.

    Addressing reporters in Lagos yesterday, its Area Controller Mohammed Uba Garba said the items were shipped into the country in 40ft container number MSK U 8751322 and two 20ft containers number MSKU144709/0 and MRKU 738266.

    Mohammed said the Duty Paid Value ( DPV) of the fake drugs is over N31 million and wondered why the scrupulous importers who are now at large would want to destroy the health of Nigerian because of their illicit trade and love for money.

    A total of 14 containers, the Controller said, were seized by the Unit for false declaration and breach of Customs law with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of  N104,684,023.7.

    “After intensifying our operational modalities to meet up with the current smuggling tactics, we have intercepted various contraband with Duty Paid Value of over N356million.”

    The seized items, findings revealed, included 11 used vehicles, 4,227 bags of imported rice, frozen poultry products, vegetable oil, Indian Hemp, medicaments, used tyres, scrap metals, bales of used clothing and shoes among others.

    The items, Mohammed said, were seized by the unit between August 29 and 3rd October this year.

    “While seven containers carried unprocessed wood, one container was carrying scrap metals and another one carrying wet blue  (leather)  for export which all fall under export prohibition list.

    “Also, three of the seized containers were medicaments without appropriate import documents and certification. Two containers were carrying a purported made in Nigeria cables but were actually imported from China. The importer declared the item as electric distribution board and ballast. Only God knows what would have happened if these fake products got into our market,” he said.

    The 11 vehicles seized by the unit, it was learnt, included two Lexus Jeep, RX330, one Toyota Rav4, two Toyota Camry, five Mercedes Benz, and one IVECO tanker truck. The vehicles are 2007 and 2013 respectively.

    The DPV of the vehicles, according to the controller is over N125million.

    “Also, we have 17 assorted vehicles of various models in detention. The vehicles were evacuated from car marts due to infraction noticed in their document. As I speak with you, the owners have not been able to provide relevant Customs papers on some of the vehicles but we have given them enough room to provide them. The vehicles under detention have a duty paid value of  N141,877,496.15.,” he said.

    In the spirit of inter-agency collaboration, the seized Indian hemp, the medicaments and the fake electric cables were handed over by the Controller to the representatives of the NDLEA, NAFDAC and SON at the occasion for further investigation.

  • Customs breaks records with 1of3 female management

    Customs breaks records with 1of3 female management

    • Gives management three months to reduce smuggling 

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Tuesday broke the global record of appointing women as 1/3 of its management staff. 

    The Comptroller-General Hameed Ali, who made this known while decorating five Deputy Comptrollers General and eight Assistant Comptrollers General in Abuja, said that the promotion and decoration was the “first time that the service was abiding by the Beijing Conference resolution on women.”

    He explained further: “I am bringing to the notice of this gathering that this is the first time that the Nigeria Customs Service will be abiding by the Beijing Conference Resolution. Today, out of the 18, management members of the Nigeria Customs Service, we have six women. Out of six DCGs, we have two women. So that is one-third of the members. Out of 18, we have six.”

    According to him, one of the points that were highlighted in the last Word Customs Organization (WCO) was the issue of equality between women and men.

    The elated Customs boss said: “I am glad to tell the Secretary General of the WCO that the Nigeria Customs Service was the first to meet that criterion.”

    Those that were decorated were DCG Aminu Dangaladima, DCG Augustine Chidi, DCG Sule Robert Alu, DGG Patience Iferi, and DCG Ronke Olubiyi.

    The service also decorated eight Assistant Comptrollers General.  

    The Customs boss disclosed to the officers that “we are not doing very well in covering smuggling. Ensure in the next three months we reduces smuggling to the barest minimum. We must reduce smuggling of especially rice. I keep getting the news that rice is coming. We have to stop the influx of rice into this country.”

    Continuing, Ali told the newly decorated officers that their new rank means a call for more work as their promotion was even consequent upon performance and hard work.

    He said that the officers had gone through thick and thin in the service, adding that most of them were already nicknamed owing to their commitment to duty.

    The promotion from Comptroller to Assistant Comptroller General comes from a different perspective in addition to merit and hard work. 

    He told them that the few that were selected should be grateful to God. 

    Ali said that “this is the first time I will take responsibility of selecting the management. Your failure will be my failure so I pray you don’t let me down.”

  • Customs to prosecute smugglers of 18 vehicles  

    Customs to prosecute smugglers of 18 vehicles  

    The Nigeria Customs Service Tuesday paraded 18 exotic vehicles that it apprehended from Kefiano Motors Ltd in Abuja, vowing to prosecute the dealer if it is established that the items were out rightly smuggled.

    Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the Comptroller -General, Col. Hameed Ali retired said that “we have just started our investigations to see that the duty were paid as they claimed or they were not paid. If it is proven that there was no intention at all to pay duty, then it is purely a smuggled item and therefore, the Section 147 under Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA 2004) will apply. We will prosecute them.”

    According to him, “if you are found in possession of a smuggled vehicle, it is one year jail term’ no option. We will have to bring the law to bear. We will surely have to test the law now. If we are able to prove it, Kuje will be your home.”

    He said that the Customs officers that connived with the dealer will also face the wrath of the law.

    He told the reporters that on September 2017, based on credible information the detachment of the Compliance Team visited Kefiano Motors Ltd in the Central Business District of Abuja and discovered 18 suspected smuggled exotic vehicles that were displayed for sales.

    The Comptroller-General noted that beyond the issue of non-payment of Customs duty, 13 of the vehicles are bullet proof.

    He added that “These vehicles require clearance from the office of the National Security Adviser before importation. In a period of fragile security, we cannot afford to have unauthorized persons use armoured vehicles without End User Certificates; possession of the vehicles is illegal. ”

    The vehicles are two Range Rovers, one Rolls Royce, four Lexus’ three G wagons, two Prados, one Lincoln Navigator, One Infinity, on 4matic, two Toyota Camry saloon cars.

    Ali said that in the last two months, the service had stepped up its implementation of the Federal Government’s ban on importation of vehicles through land boarders.

    The implementation, according to the Customs boss, has yielded the following positive results in the last two months across the country: Zone A, Lagos -135 vehicles seized, Zone B, Kaduna 93 vehicles seized, Zone C PortHarcourt- 37 vehicles seized and Zone D, Bauchi Nil.

    Ali revealed that the NCS has realized that dealers now hide smuggled vehicles in their houses, noting that the law empowers the service to “go to their bedroom.”

  • Customs intercepts N1.4bn contraband in eight months

    Customs intercepts N1.4bn contraband in eight months

    The Zone B of the Nigeria Customs Service, Kaduna, has intercepted smuggled items valued at over N1.4 billion from January to August, its Controller, Aminu Dahiru, has said.

    Dahiru said in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Minna, that a total of 1,357 items were seized during the period.

    He listed some of the seized items to include second hand vehicles and clothes, trucks load of rice, vegetable oil, tin tomatoes, illicit drugs, mosquito coil, tyres, furniture and drones among others.

    The controller stressed that the command would continue to mount surveillance and adopt measures to make smuggling impossible in the area.

    “We have declared war against smuggling and have deployed competent officers to man all identified illegal routes used by smugglers to bring in unwholesome goods into the country.

    “We have taken concrete measures to stop illegal importation of banned goods in order to contribute our quota in the promotion of Made-in-Nigerian goods,” he said.

    Dahiru said that the zone has streamlined its mode of operations and equip its men to operate optimally.

    He therefore called for support of stakeholders and traditional rulers in mobilising border communities to support the service in protecting the economy of the country.

  • Court orders forfeiture of imported goods to FG

    Court orders forfeiture of imported goods to FG

    A Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday ordered the permanent forfeiture of various illegally imported goods valued at N50, 151,606 to the Federal Government.

    The vacation judge, Justice Abdulaziz Anka, made the order following an August 14 ex parte application filed by the Nigeria Customs Service.

    The goods, including bales of fairly used clothes, shoes, bags, bed sheets, porcelain plates, 7,163 bags of foreign parboiled rice, and 147 jerry cans of vegetable oil, were intercepted between April and June, 2017.

    Others were seven vehicles whose values were not stated.

    According to the agency’s Assistant Legal Adviser, Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja, Shehu Bodinga, the owners refused to show up after the goods were intercepted.

    In the application, the lawyer persuaded the judge that there was an urgent need to order the forfeiture of the goods because some of them were perishable.

    The Customs, according to him, had been ordered by the Presidency to distribute some of the seized items to victims of the Boko Haram insurgency living in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the North East.

    In a 15-paragraph affidavit, Bodinga said the goods were imported in breach of Section 46(c) of the Customs and Management Act.

    In some cases, he added, the importers and their privies attempted to evade duty on the goods or the items they brought into the country because were prohibited by law.

    He said: “Apart from acts of fraudulent evasion of duty, some of the defaulters brought in outright unlawful and prohibited items, which are so classified by the Customs laws and regulations.

    “I verily believe that because of the severity of the punishment and sanction attached to the offences, the defaulters, along with their collaborators, have refused and or failed to come forward to claim the goods from the Nigeria Customs Service, thereby, abandoning same and same seized.

    “In order to prevent complete deterioration of the said goods and total loss of revenue to the Nigeria Customs Service, the board now intends to sell the goods either by way of auction, allocation or by any other procedure.”

  • Customs in Owerri impounds contraband worth N101.693m

    Customs in Owerri impounds contraband worth N101.693m

    The Federal Operation Unit (FOU) Zone ‘C’ of Nigeria Customs Service in Owerri on Wednesday said it confiscated contraband with Duty Paid Value of N101.693 million in a week operations in August.

    It said the items comprised six state-of-the-art cars, 575 bags of 50kg foreign rice, 323 pieces of used tyres and a container load of EVA soaps concealed with motor spare parts.

    The Area Controller in the Zone, Comptroller Bukar Amajam, made this known while displaying the seized items to newsmen at the NCS Benin City office.

    He said the goods were impounded along the Benin Mobile/Onitsha Head Bridge patrol axis of the Customs through information from patriotic Nigerians.

    Amajam said the confiscated exotic cars were a Bently GT Coupe 2014 model with DPV of over N56 million, a Mercedez Benz GLk model 2011 with DPV of N9. 23 million and another Mercedez Benz GLK 2008 model valued at N7.715 million.

    He said a Toyota Hiace bus loaded with 56 bags of rice was also confiscated, both having DPV of N3.23 million.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NCS also impounded a bus with 323 pieces of used tyres, a Toyota Preva loaded with 59 bags of rice, all worth N4.420 million and N2.711 million, respectively.

    Also confiscated is a Sino Truck loaded with 460 bags of rice. Both truck and rice have DPV of N18.376 million.

    The customs area controller said that two suspects involved in a smuggling business were already in prison custody and would be facing trial soon.

    He expressed regret that some people were still engrossed in the business in spite of successful efforts of the customs service to nip their activities in the bud.

    Amajam warned Nigerians still involved in the illegal business of smuggling of unauthorized items into the country to desist forthwith in their own interest.

    According to him, the efforts of the customs are geared toward promoting local industries and to beef up revenue generation for the Federal Government.

    “Although there has been a drastic reduction in smuggling of banned items into the country, the NCS would not relent on its oars until the war against the scourge is won,” he said.

    He said the Eva soaps were confiscated because of trade prohibition as the items were “too much to be allowed to enter the country for commercial purposes” since the country had locally made Eva soaps.

    Amajam appealed to members of the public with useful information about smugglers, their agents and collaborators to always make them available to the Nigeria Customs Service for necessary action.

    He assured that such information would be treated with the utmost confidentiality it deserved.

  • Customs seeks forfeiture of N50m ‘illegally’ imported goods

    Customs seeks forfeiture of N50m ‘illegally’ imported goods

    The Nigeria Customs Service Board Monday applied to the Federal High Court in Lagos, for an order forfeiting various illegally imported goods valued at N50,151,606 to the Federal Government.

    The agency’s Assistant Legal Adviser Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja, Shehu Bodinga, brought the application via an ex parte motion before vacation judge, Justice Abdulaziz Anka.

    The goods, including loads of fairly used clothes, shoes, bags, bed sheets, porcelain plates, 7,163 bags of foreign parboiled rice, and 147 jerry cans of vegetable oil, were said to have been intercepted between April and June, 2017.

    Others were seven vehicles which values were, however, not stated.

    According to him, after the goods were intercepted and seized, their owners refused to show up to claim them.

    The lawyer said there was an urgent need to order the forfeiture of the goods because some of them are perishable.

    He told judge that the Customs had been ordered by The Presidency to distribute some of the seized items to victims of the Boko Haram insurgency living in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in the North-East.

    In a 15-paragraph affidavit, Bodinga said the goods were imported in breach of Section 46(c) of the Customs and Management Act.

    In some cases, he added, the importers and their privies attempted to evade duty on the goods or the items they brought into the country were prohibited by law.

    He said: “Apart from acts of fraudulent evasion of duty, some of the defaulters brought in outright unlawful and prohibited items, which are so classified by the Customs laws and regulations.

    “I verily believe that because of the severity of the punishment and sanction attached to the offences, the defaulters, along with their collaborators, have refused and or failed to come forward to claim the goods from the Nigeria Customs Service, thereby, abandoning same and same seized.

    “In order to prevent complete deterioration of the said goods and total loss of revenue to the Nigeria Customs Service, the board now intends to sell the goods either by way of auction, allocation or by any other procedure.

    “I verily believe that searches have been conducted in the court registry and there is no evidence of any court actions pending against the application in respect of the items, hereby sought to be condemned as forfeited to the applicant.”

    Justice Anka adjourned till August 17 for ruling.

     

  • Customs deactivate 160 TINs over fraudulent bidding

    Customs deactivate 160 TINs over fraudulent bidding

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Tuesday told The Nation that last week, at the end of its 5th round of the ongoing e-auction bidding, it deactivated 160 Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) of fraudulent bidders.

    Speaking with our Abuja correspondent on phone, the Public Relations Officer, Mr. Joseph Attah, noted that “the 5th round was smooth because of the measures that we put into effect, They have started yielding results.

    “We have deactivated over 160 TINs due to bogus and unrealistic bidding. Those measures of reprogramming the system we had seen a better bidding process at the end of the 5th bidding.”
    He said that 353 winners have emerged from the exercise.

    According to him, at the end of the 5th round, the total amount generated from the e-auction was in excess of N52million. He added that the 6th round commenced this week Monday.

    The spokesman said that “The 5th round produced 99 winners. So, when you add it up at the end of that 5th round we had 353 winners. And we have generated over N52million. And you know of course, the 6th round now has started on Monday.”

    He said that 19 banks are now participating in the ongoing auction and that the previous challenges that were associated with the process at the beginning have now given way owing to the different measures that the NCS took to address them.

    It will be recalled that the Nigeria Customs Service Comptroller-General, Hameed Ali (rtd) had this year introduced the e-auction bidding process to contain the corruption and lack of transparency that characterized the previous analogue bidding system.

    The Controller-General said:“In the past, stakeholders had accused the service of Nepotism, short changing the government of revenue through arbitrary auction fees to be paid by allottees and sundry corruption allegation against the service”.

    Two weeks after the launch of the process, for Jaiz Bank Plc, all the other Deposit Money Banks (DMB) refused to participate in the exercise giving room to the conjecture that the e-auction was skewed to favour Muslims and northerners.

    On July 18, Ali met with 17 Chief Executive Officers of banks in his office at Abuja, accusing them of sabotaging the e-auction process.

    The bankers, however, blamed their non-participation on technical hitches and promised to hook on to the system as soon as they overcame their hurdles.