Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Ogun 1 Command has seized 11,645 kegs of 25litres Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) equivalent to 9 tankers, 25903 bags of foreign rice estimated to be 43 trailer-load, among other seizures in the first half of 2022.
The Area Controller, Ogun 1 Command, Comptroller Bamidele Makinde revealed this yesterday, while addressing journalists on the Command’s activities for the first half of the year in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Comptroller Makinde lamented that this huge quantity of rice, if allowed into the Nigerian markets, would have been disastrous to the Federal Government policy on local rice production and the economy of the nation.
Other seizures recorded during the same period which include: 1433 cartons of frozen poultry products, 72 units of used vehicles, 20 units of used motorcycles; illicit drugs such as; 1,400 packets and 2,250 sachets of tramadol and 168 packets of codeine.
258 sacks and 661 wraps of cannabis sativa, 289 cartons of tomato paste, 140 pieces of used tyres, 343 cartons of foreign wine, 34 bales, 113 sacks & 36 Ghana-Must-Go bags of used clothing, 64 sacks and 2,218 pairs of used footwear, 328 cartons, 320 sacks and 72 pairs of new footwear, 180 pieces of female handbags, 365 bales and 925 pieces of textile and 900 pieces of machetes.
The cumulative duty paid value (DPV) for all the seizures amounted to N3,400,226,707.00, however, during the period under review, the Command generated a total sum of N29,940,146.50 from import duties and auction sales of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) seized from smugglers.
Giving a comparative analysis of the Command’s performance during the period under review and half year of 2021, the Customs boss observed a significant increase in revenue collection and value of seizure recorded.
“The revenue generated from January to June last year was N15,261,074.00 compared to this year’s revenue of N29,940,146.50. Similarly, the estimated Duty Paid Value (DPV) of items seized this year which is N3,400,226,707.00 is higher than that of last year record which was N834,765,273.00. That is about 400% increase,” he said.
Comptroller Makinde attributed these achievements to; continuous stakeholder’s engagement and management, deployment of intelligence in all the operations across the state, structural reorganization of the Command and improved motivation of officers by the NCS management as exemplified by the operational vehicles allocated to the Command recently and the provision of accommodation in various outstations within the Command.
While commending the improved discipline and total dedication of officers at the Command, he assured that the Command will continue to dialogue, engage, sensitize and educate the public on social/economic implications of smuggling as well as performing its statutory function of enforcing compliance in line with government fiscal policies.
“We shall strengthen the Customs-Community Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) within our capacity. As part of our Stakeholders’ engagement, we paid courtesy visits to traditional rulers in various communities in the State. I sought their support in combating smuggling and urged them to educate their subjects on the menace of smuggling and incessant attacks on security operatives discharging their statutory duties. We also visited Heads of various Security Agencies for synergy and collaboration in the State,” the Customs boss added.