The Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’, Ikeja, Lagos of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has disclosed that it generated over N5.9 billion from anti-smuggling and other campaigns last year.
Out of the total revenue raked in, the Command generated N4.4 billion from seized contraband goods compared to the N1.6 billions realised from duty payments and demand notices on general goods based on through wrong classification, transfer of value, and short-change in duty payment at the ports of entry.
According to a statement issued by the Controller of the FOU, Mohammed Garba, at least 179 suspects were arrested in connection with 1,046 different seizures, comprising smuggled vehicles, arms, foreign parboiled rice, frozen poultry products, vegetable oil, fake pharmaceutical/medicaments and sundry general merchandise.
Garba disclosed that last year witnessed the highest volume of seizures in the history of the command, adding that this feat was recorded in spite of all the challenges the command faced during the year under review.
He attributed the revenue generation surge to the various measures introduced by the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd.) and the Service’s management team in their efforts to reward hard work and deploying qualified personnel to manage sensitive areas of operations nationwide.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer, NCS, Mr. Joseph Attah, has said that the Service will improve on its total revenue of N1.037 trillion generated last year in the 2018 fiscal year and solicited the support of all stakeholders to enable the Service achieve the target.
“We are prepared to do more of what we did last year and we look forward to breaking the record of 2017 in 2018 by God’s grace,” Attah assured.
He debunked insinuations that there was a frosty relationship between the NCS and the National Assembly, adding that “for the avoidance of doubt, we want to say that the relationship between the NCS and the National Assembly is cordial.”
“There is no problem and we have no reason to blame the respected body for what is generally accepted as a very good performance in 2017. How do we blame an individual or an organisation when many are commending the service for a job well done in terms of revenue collection and suppression of smuggling?”, he queried.
