Nigerian Customs Made N1.2 Billion From Seized Goods In Lagos (See Photos)

Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’ Ikeja-Lagos Nets In N1.2 Billion from Seizures and Interventions between January – June, 2016
Following the aggressive Anti-smuggling activities embarked upon by the Unit in its attempt to re-define its mandate for a paradigm shift, a total of Four hundred and Ninety Four (494) different Seizures of prohibited/offending goods were effected by the Unit during the period under reference. A breakdown of the report is as follows:
Breakdown Of Seizures – Commodity By Commodity
1) RICE: A total of Twenty two thousand, seven hundred and sixty three (22,763) bags of 50kg parboiled rice was intercepted; valued at One Hundred and Thirteen Million, Nine Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira (N113,940,000.00) Only with a payable duty of Thirty Four Million, One Hundred and Eighty Two Thousand Naira (N34,182,000.00) Only and a DPV of One Hundred and Forty Eight Million, One Hundred and Twenty Two Thousand Naira (N148,122,000.00) Only.
2) POULTRY PRODUCTS: A total of Twenty nine thousand, six hundred and eighty four (29,684) cartons valued at One Hundred and Thirty Three Million, Five Hundred and Seventy Eight Thousand Naira (N133,578,000.00) Only with a payable duty of Twenty Six Million, Seven Hundred and Fifteen Thousand, Six Hundred Naira (N26,715,600.00) Only and a DPV of One Hundred and Sixty Million, Two Hundred and Ninety Three Thousand, Six Hundred Naira (N160,293,600.00) Only.
3) VEHICLES: A total of fifty (50) vehicles was intercepted comprising Thirty eight (38) units of assorted vehicles and twelve (12) cut buses valued at Sixty Eight Million Naira (N68,000,000.00) Only, with a payable duty of seventy Twenty Three Million, Eight Hundred Thousand Naira (N23,800,000.00) Only, and a DPV of Ninety One Million, Eight Hundred Thousand Naira (N91,800,000.00) Only.
4) VEGETABLE OIL: Three thousand, one hundred and seventy four (3,174) J/CANS, two hundred and eighty six (286) cartons, one hundred and twenty (120) PCS of 10 liters and one thousand two hundred and fifty (1,250) empty J/CANS were also intercepted, valued at Twenty One Million, One Hundred and Ninety Six Thousand Naira (N21,196,000.00) Only with a payable duty of Seven Million, Three Hundred and Fifty Nine Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty Naira (N7,359,950.00) Only with a DPV of Twenty Eight Million, Five Hundred and Fifty Five Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifty Naira (N28,555,950.00) Only.
5) GENERAL MERCHANDISE: Assorted general merchandise including new and used textile materials, new and used shoes, vegetable oil, insecticide, wine, various types of spaghetti and noodles, soaps and detergents valued at Three Hundred and Sixty Five Million, Three Hundred and Forty Six Thousand, Six Hundred and Fifty Naira (N365,346,650.00) Only with a payable duty of Ninety Four Million, One Hundred and Ninety Four Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ninety Nine Naira (N94,194,990.00) Only with a DPV of Four Hundred and Fifty Nine Million, Five Hundred and Forty One Thousand, Six Hundred and Forty Nine Naira (N459,541,640.00) Only.
The Unit also apprehended one hundred and twenty six (126) suspects in connection with the Seizures during the same period. Generally speaking and in totality, the Unit recorded four hundred and ninety four (494) different remarkable Seizures as indicated above, valued at Seven Hundred and Two Million, Sixty Thousand, Six Hundred and Fifty Naira (N702,060,650.00) Only with a payable duty of One Hundred and Eighty Six Million, Two Hundred and Fifty Two Thousand, Five Hundred and Forty Naira (N186,252,540.00) Only with a total DPV of Eight Hundred And Eighty Eight Million, Three Hundred And Thirteen Thousand, One Hundred And Ninety Naira (N888,313,190.00) Only.
Similarly, the Controller confirmed that over Three Hundred and Twelve Million, Eight Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Two Hundred and Ninety Five Naira (N312,870,295.00) Only, was recovered through the various interventions during the same period.
In addition, the Controller noted that some of the seized items contravened sections 46 & 47 of the Customs & Excise Management Act CAP C45 LFN 2004; which are on “FORFEITURE OF GOODS IMPROPERLY IMPORTED” AS WELL AS “PENALTY FOR IMPROPER IMPORTATION OF GOODS ETC”.
A comparative analysis with 2015 corresponding report of the same period under review, the Federal Operations Unit in 2015 recorded one thousand and thirty seizures (1,030) with a duty paid value of N758, 271, 969. Whereas the number of seizures for 2015 appears higher, the quality of seizures in the first half of 2016 accounted for the improved duty paid.
The Customs Area Controller in Charge of the Unit, Comptroller Umar Yusuf, while saying said the sense of commitment and dedication to duty of officers’ enabled the achievements, gave assurances that the Command will keep up the tempo in the second part of the year.
He however revealed some challenges the Command have experienced despite achieving this feat in the first half of the year. According to him, hostility from economic saboteurs who are determined to smuggle illegal goods and volatility of areas officers patrol have been challenging for the Command.
UCHE EJESIEME
PRO
FEDERAL OPERATIONS UNIT
ZONE ‘A’ – IKEJA.