The Comptroller-General of Customs Strike Force, Zone A in the first six months of 2022 made seizures worth a total duty paid value (DPV) of ₦7,432,596,075, with four suspects arrested in connection with some of the seizures during the period under review.
This was made known to newsmen on Wednesday by the Coordinator of the Strike Force, D.C. Mohammed Sani Yusuf.
According to him, notable among the seized items are:
seized over 8,000 bags of foreign parboiled rice of 50kg each, equivalent of 13 trucks, 1x40ft container of Tramadol, Sildenafil citrate, 1613 bottles of 100ml Codeine, 1079 bales of secondhand clothing, 3,695 pieces of used tyres
966 slabs of Donkey skin, 77,760 pairs of new Ladies shoes, 5,250 pairs of used shoes and 197 logs of wood.
DC Yusuf also disclosed that through the meticulous checks on import documents, “we were able to recover the sum of ₦3,140,758,599 through issuance of demand notices; saying this was this was done sequel to the eagle eyeded officers discovery of short payment of duties within the period of six months.
This amount, according to him, would have been lost, but for officers vigilance and uncompromising disposition in the discharge of their duties.
The Deputy Comptroller further disclosef that within the same period in 2021, a total collection of ₦1,808,316,391 was made, which shows an increase of ₦1,332,242,208; representing 73 per cent of revenue increase.
“I want to use this opportunity to reiterate that our efforts for the second half of the year is already invigorated, and we shall ensure that smugglers and enemies of our economy have no hiding place within our area of responsibility.”
He said that his team has been able to raise the anti-smuggling with enhanced 24 hour round the clock operation, adding that the operational capability of the team has received a big boost with additional New Toyota Hilux vehicles from the Comptroller-General of Customs, which provided support for suppressing smuggling, prevent revenue loss, protects environmental degradation, unlawful wide life poaching and in all protect the national economy.
He stated that importing what the country can produce threatens the nation’s economy; even as unlawful felling of trees degrades the environment and promotes deforestation while illegal killing of widelife creatures and endengered species like Pangolin and Donkeys for their scales and skines respectively, could lead to the extinction of the animals.
“With these and other tasks under our purview, we shall continue to arrest pepertrators, seize prohibited items from them or their accomplices, and promote lawful trade using the legal instrument of the extant Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) CAP 45LFN”, D.C. Yusuf said.
He added, “May I use this medium to once again, to advise all importers, agents, haulage operators and the entire business community operating in the South West to keep themselves abreast with the import and export prohibition lists and guidelines, as ignorance of the law is not an excuse.”
