The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria Customs Service

  • Smuggling: Ogun Customs solicits monarchs’ assistance

    The Ogun Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has stepped up its anti-smuggling campaign by enlisting the assistance of monarchs in the border communities in Yewa area of the State.

    The initiative, according to the Customs Area Comptroller, Ogun Command, Michael Agbara, is in line with the vision of resuscitated Customs Community Relations Committee, adding that the meeting would hold quarterly.

    He said the meeting was convened to enhance the existing customs community relations between the service and traditional leaders of border communities.

    Agbara, according to a statement signed by the Customs Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, urged the community leaders to cooperate with customs command in the fight against smugglers.

    The Customs chief also said that the command was ready to work with relevant stakeholders and agencies to actualize its anti-smuggling campaign.

    The statement added: “In an effort to revamp the relationship between host communities at the Border Areas within Ogun state, the CAC Ogun Command, Controller Michael Agbara held a meeting with heads of traditional institutions along the border areas. Issues were articulated on how best to improve Customs community relationship among other discussions.’’

  • Adamawa IDPs get 532 bags of rice, other items from Customs

    The Adamawa/Taraba Zonal Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has donated 532 50kg bagels of rice and 139 bales of secondhand clothes to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Adamawa State.

    Assistant Comptroller of Customs,  Muhammad Usman Bappa, handed the items on behalf of the Comptroller of Customs,  Col Hameed Ali (rtd), to the Executive Secretary of the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA), Dr Muhammad Suleiman, during a brief ceremony in Yola, explaining that the donation was informed by President Muhammad Buhari’s directive that seized perishable items should be given to IDPs in the Northeast.

    Read Also: 51 killed in Adamawa attack

    Receiving the items,  ADSEMA Executive Secretary Muhammad Suleiman said the items, which included 12 12-litre gallons of vegetable oil and two cartons of fruit juice,  would be distributed to intended beneficiaries,  who he said would include victims of recent flood incidents across Adamawa State.

  • Ogun customs records N799m revenue, arrest three suspected smugglers

    The Ogun State Area Command, Nigeria Customs Service, said it recorded N799, 682, 839 as revenue in August alone .

    The figure, according to the Controller of the Command, Mr. Michael Agbara, exceeded its monthl revenue target of N727,775,499.

    Agbara, disclosed this on Tuesday at the Command’s Idiroko border office while briefing reporters about the activities of the command.

    He disclosed that his men also intercepted 6,194 bags of smuggled foreign rice and 33 smuggled vehicles within the month of August 2018, at the Idiroko border and environs.

    ‘’In a desirous effort to key into the Federal Government policy on agricultural development in the area of boosting local rice production , the above recoded seizure of 6, 194 bags of rice for the month of August 2018 is the highet monthly seizure ever made in the command since the inception of this policy.’’

    He said that the seizure was a blow to smugglers who had wanted to exploit the Eid-el-Kabir festival to perpetuate their illicit business.

    The controller also disclosed that the command also seized 395 kegs of vegetable oil, 1,954 pairs of used footwear, 340 kegs of Premium Motor Spirit, 45 cartons of frozen poultry products within theperiod under review.

     

  • Importers abandon over N10b vehicles at Lagos ports

    About 6,000 vehicles worth over N10 billion have been abandoned by importers at the Lagos ports, investigation has revealed.

    The vehicles, imported through Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports, were abandoned because of the owners’ inability to pay the Customs Duty within the stipulated period.

    The Duty Paid Value (DPV) of about 1,000 of the vehicles, Customs sources said, is up to N4 billion.

    The market value of each of the vehicles is between N4 million and N4.5 million.

    A source close to the Federal Ministry of Finance said instead of the importers looking for ways to pay the duties and levies, they resorted to bribing some Customs officers. They also sought ways to ‘fly’ the vehicles out of the ports through “unscrupulous agents.”

    Over  3,000 of the vehicles, it was learnt, have been moved to some bonded terminals. Some are still at both terminals contributing to the ports congestion.

    The source alleged that some of the importers delayed payment until the vehicles were declared overtime cargoes. Their thinking, he said, is that such vehicles will be sold to them later at very cheap rate through auction.

    But the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) had since eradicated the old system of auctioning seized vehicles and goods. It has yet to bring the vehicles up on its e-platform for auctioning.

    An official of one of the bonded terminals where about 1,500 of the vehicles are, said some importers abandoned some of the vehicles declared as overtime cargoes when they realised that they have to pay 70 per cent duty and levies to clear them.

    One of the importers, Mr Samson Benjamin said: “As importers, part of our efforts was to ensure that we patronise Nigerian  ports and don’t divert our cargoes to the ports of neighbouring countries, but rather than this gesture being recognised and compensated, the Federal Government through the NCS is busy breathing down on our necks, asking us to pay 70 per cent duty and 70 per cent levy on every brand new vehicles imported into the country.

    “ Ditto used vehicles. We have to pay 35 per cent duty and 35 per cent levy. When you calculate all the amount involved, you will understand the reason why people abandoned their vehicles.

    “We have invested heavily on each of the vehicles abandoned at the ports. We ought to be encouraged. Even some of those the government is buying vehicles from find ways of bringing them  out of the ports without paying the appropriate duty so that they can break even.

    A senior Customs officer at the ports, said the NCS’ position on duty collection had not changed.

    The Customs, he said, would collect the duty on the vehicles, adding that the importers would be sanctioned by declaring their vehicles as overtime cargoes and auctioning them.

    “We are committed to the recovery of the duty payable on every imported vehicle. We have the government’s backing on this and the management has no reason whatsoever to shirk its responsibility in this regard,” the source said.

  • Customs seizes N21b Tramadol, hemp in Sokoto

    Some 68 cartons of Tramadol and 120kg of cannabis valued at N21.1 million have been intercepted by the Sokoto Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

    The command said it also seized six cartons of expired cigarettes.

    Handing over the seized items to the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency  (NDLEA) and the National Food and Drugs Administration Commission (NAFDAC) at the Area Command, the Area Comptroller Nasiru Ahmed said the Tramadol worth N20 million was abandoned in a house in the Sokoto metropolis.

    The cannabis worth N1.1 million, he said, was intercepted at Kamba border concealed in bales of second-hand clothing.

    Ahmed said that the Indian helm was highly concentrated and was brought into the country from Benin Republic.

    He reiterated his call on border communities to always see smuggling as dangerous to their societies and the nation at large not a business.

    He stressed the need for stronger synergy between security agencies to curtail the menace.

    “Nigeria is our country and we need to double our effort to stop illicit drugs and firearms into our country,” he said

    He added that investigation is ongoing to unravel the owners of the seized items, just as he advised the state government to demolish the house where the tramadol was found.

    On their separate remarks, the State Coordinator of NAFDAC and the representative of NDLEA, Hamisu Yahya and Mustapha Ali-Baba appreciated the gestures which they said had shown the synergy between the command and other sister agencies as this was not the first seizure it handed over to them.

  • Customs intercept truckload of Army camouflage, kits

    …Three suspects nabbed

     

    The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone C of the Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted a truckload of military camouflage, combat boots and other kits with Duty Paid Value of N61, 411, 384.00.

    The 1×40 feet Container which also contained other contraband goods used as a decoy to conceal the bales of the military camouflage was arrested along the Aba-Eleme axis by Customs Officers.

    Three suspects, Emeka Omaliko, Udokachi Igba and Godwin Kalu were arrested in connection with the importation and clearing of the contraband.

    Parading the suspects and the impounded items at Imo/Abia Command Headquarters in Owerri, the Comptroller General of Customs, Hammed Ali, represented by the Zonal Coordinator Zone C, Assistant Comptroller General Sanusi Umar, said “the arrest was another milestone recorded in our efforts to stem smuggling activities and to protect our national security”.

    He said that the importation of the military camouflage and combat boots contravenes schedule 4 (13) of ECOWAS Common External Tariff which falls under Absolute Prohibition.

    Umar disclosed that the Service has commenced thorough investigation into the case, stating that appropriate sanctions will be meted against everyone involved.

    According to him, “you will agree with me that criminals often disguise as military and para-military personnel and use such wears to deceive, rob and kidnap innocent Nigerians. The seized camouflage uniforms can comfortably serve a full fledged four battalions of 1000 persons each and still have an excess of 400 sets”.

    he however said that the destination of the military wears is still unknown, stating that investigations were still ongoing to ascertain the purpose for the importation and those behind it.

    Giving further breakdown of the intercepted contraband, the Customs boss, explained that “the officers and men of the Command on the 19 of July intercepted 1×40 container with number MRSU 3040298 and on examination, it was found to contain 11 bales containing 400 pairs of new set of sewn military camouflage uniform each, totalling 4400 sets, 15 cartons containing 20 pairs of Altama combat boots each, totalling 300 pairs. 27 made medical equipments made in China, seven wooden furniture kitchen cabinets and 337 packs of foreign tiles”.

  • Kano/Jigawa Customs generates N8b, surpasses revenue target

    The Nigeria Customs service (NCS), Kano/Jigawa Area command has generated over N8, 070,570,235.37 against the projected target of N 7,389,024,423.42 as its revenue between January and June 2018.

    To this end, the command has also surpassed its revenue target of 681,545, 811.95k given to it by the comptroller General Col. Hameed I. Ali (rtd).

    Briefing reporters Tuesday at the Kano command’s headquarters over the feat recorded within six months, the area comptroller, Kano/Jigawa command, Yusuf Abba Kasim said that over 74 numbers of seizures were made during the anti-smuggling raids of the command.

    Read Also:Customs impounds 850 cartons of Tramadol, cannabis

    According to him, the command was also able to recover 266,944,264.00k from various duties paid value (DPV) from various contra-band goods impounded by the command.

    Kasim, explained that the reasons for the achievements recorded by the command was as a result of the proactive measures put in place by the command to rid the states of smugglers.

    “With the efforts of the resilient officers of the command, some items were intercepted and seized during the raids on boarders and warehouses within the metropolitan areas of the states”

    Those items seized according to him include “motor vehicles 41 units, foreign rice 8,677 bags (50KG each), foreign spaghetti 884 cartons, foreign vegetable oil 1,955 jerry cans of 25 liters each.

    Others include secondhand clothes 29 bales, foreign soap 24 cartoons, foreign sugar 103 bags (50KG each), assorted used bags 11 sacks as well as assorted used shoes numbering 788 sacks.

    The comptroller stressed that, his command remained committed to its statutory duties to rid the states of contra-band goods and smuggling activities which have devastating effects on the Nigerian economy.

    Furthermore, he called on the general public to assist the command with useful information that would aid the command in its operations.

  • No disquiet in Customs, says PRO

    …says Hameed Ali doesn’t limit performance 

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Joseph Attah on Thursday  said that the Comptroller-General, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) debunked online publication that there was disquiet in. 

    He noted that the CG does not limit legitimate performance of duty in the service.

    According to him, who spoke with The Nation on phone, the report claimed that the anxiety was among top echelon of the service: the Deputy Comptroller-Generals and Assistant Comptroller-Generals.

    The report, he said, also claimed that “a person around me (PRO) told them in confidence the CGC is starving me of logistic to do my job. They added that I cannot complain publicly.”

    Read Also: Customs Strike Force goes tough

     Attah, who noted that the Customs boss does not limit legitimate performance, however, pointed out that that it was the same Comptroller-General that approved his official trip to Port Harcourt, where he was when the mischievous story broke.

    His words: “Incidentally, my attenuation was drawn to this mischievous publication when I was even outside the headquarters performing my official duty. So, who approved my journey? Is it not the same Comptroller-General?

    “The Comptroller-General that I know is not a man who limits you or dictates to you once he is convinced that he knows what you are doing. He gives you free hand to do your job.”

    Describing it as laughable for one to conjecture disaffection in the Service at the moment that it is progressing than ever, he said that compliance with the policies of the NCS has never been optional.

    He said that “there is no disquiet in the service, loyalty in the service is not an option. Nigeria Customs Service is a para military organization and therefore loyalty is not an option. I have personally tried to investigate all the boys that work under me and nobody said so. If they said somebody around me said so, they should be bold enough to tell me the person. They cannot cry more than the bereaved. 

    Continuing, the spokesman insisted that “cheap display of an agenda cannot fly in the place of a man whose antecedent is predicated on discipline, truth and integrity.”

  • Anti-smuggling: Customs mulls plans for drones

    …takes delivery off additional 30 patrol vehicles 

     

    In its bid to strengthen its other means of anti-smuggling battle, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), on Monday said it was thinking of procuring drones and unmanned area vehicles to bring the boarder criminals to their kneels.

    The Deputy Comptroller-General, Enforcement and Investigation, Aminu Dangaladima  broke the news to reporters in a media briefing on the presentation of additional 30 patrol vehicles in Abuja.

    Asked whether the Nigeria Customs was also thinking of fighting smuggling with technology, he noted that the patrol vehicles were part of the technology that the organization was deploying to fight criminal activities.

    Continuing, he said: “We are thinking of having drones. We are trying to bring in Air Force. And we are also trying to have something like Unmanned Area vehicles that can also assist us. That will go a long way. So it is in progress God willing.”

    He said the service was not fighting the anti-smuggling battle alone, adding that it was working in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy in terms of seaport security. 

    Read Also: Customs seizes over N1.3b contraband

    According to him, the Federal Government had given the NCS much and much was expected from it in terms of revenue generation.

    Dangaladima noted that once the organization blocked all the leakages .

    Earlier, he said that the additional 30 Toyota Hilux Patrol Vehicles were all equipped with the necessary apparatus for the purpose of patrol duties.

    He recalled that the first batch of 20 vehicles were presented to the public on June 11, stressing that it was all part of government’s effort at curtailing smuggling of prohibited items, especially rice. 

    He pointed out that with the robust support of the federal government, the service was  better positioned to deal with enemies of Nigeria’s security and economic prosperity ruthlessly.

    With the vehicles, Dangaladima said, the response time at the scene of any smuggling activity would be swift and decisive. 

    He charged the officers that would use the vehicles to adhere to the Comprtoller-General, Col. Hameed Ali’s commitment to proper use of the vehicles for the attainment of the desired results. 

    He appealed to the general public, especially the boarder community dwellers to support the NCS with useful information on smuggling activities around their communities. 

  • Customs gets 50 vehicles to check rice smuggling

    The Nigeria Customs Service on Monday issued out the first batch of twenty (20) Toyota Hilux Patrol Vehicles that have been equipped for anti-smuggling patrols. This first batch of vehicles is only part of the fifty (50) vehicles which the Service took delivery of.

    The Deputy Comptroller-General (enforcement, investigation & inspection), Aminu Dangaladima disclosed this to newsmen at the Customs headquarters in Abuja.

    It will be recalled that the Federal Executive Council last week Wednesday approved the contract for the procurement of 68 new pick-up operational vehicles for the Nigeria Customs Service. The purchase of these operational “anti-rice smuggling” vehicles according to the Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, is to check the persistent smuggling of rice into the country.

    According to Aminu: “We appreciate the support of President Muhammadu Buhari and wish to restate our determination to do all it takes to ensure the actualization of the Federal Government Agricultural Policy for National Food Sufficiency by crippling rice smuggling.

    “We are aware that apart from the 50 already supplied, approval has already been given for another 68 patrol vehicles in addition to 70 patrol vehicles being purchased for the joint rice task force.

    Read Also: Customs donates 10, 653 bags of rice, other items to Benin IDPs

    “This unprecedented approvals making a total of 188 patrol vehicles in record time by the FG is the needed motivation to go all out and win the war against smugglers.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, complaint traders have nothing to fear as our offensive will only be targeted at unpatriotic and non-compliant trans-border traders.

    “In line with the directive of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hammed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd), I urge all Customs Area Comptrollers to ensure proper use of the vehicles to root out smuggling activities in their Commands.”

    The DCG, alongside other officials of the Service took newsmen round the vehicles to inspect and authenticate its functionality and soundness. Asst. Compt. Kolade Kayode (Dep. National Coordinator, Strike Force) received the vehicles from DCG Aminu Dangaladima.

    He appealed to the members of the public, especially the border communities to support the Service by providing useful information that will help nip smuggling in the bud.