Don’t Increase Import Duties – NAGAFF Beg Customs

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) on Saturday called on the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) not to contemplate any further hike in import duties as this would rather increase hardship on the people.

The National Publicity Secretary of the association, Mr Stanley Ezenga, made the plea in an interview with journalists in Lagos.

The Nigeria Customs Service, in a recent circular had directed the 43 percent hike in duties in line with government`s adoption of the flexible foreign exchange regime.

“Just recently, the Customs increased the import duties based on the argument that that they could no longer operate the fixed N197 to $1 following the government`s adoption of the new forex policy.

Customs Destroy Imported Frozen Poultry Worth N220m In Edo

 The Nigeria Customs Service in Edo State on Saturday destroyed imported frozen poultry product worth over N220m. Officials of the Federal Operation Unit Zone C intercepted the truck carrying the contraband product was intercepted along the Benin-Ore-Lagos expressway.

The Nigeria Customs Service will continue its fight on the ongoing crackdown on smugglers across the country, the Deputy Comptroller General of Customs Enforcement, Sola Oladesu, said while supervising the destruction exercise at the Customs House in Benin City.

He added that the Service is not only concerned with generating revenues for the Federal Government, it is also worried about the health implications of the activities of smugglers on Nigerians.

Shipping line slams N50m suit against Customs over employee’s detention

A Shipping firm, Afriglobe Shipping Lines Ltd, has filed a N50million suit against the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS before a Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos over an alleged illegal detention of its Managing Director, Mr. Christian Ukata.The claimant’s counsel Charles Ugwuanyi who filed court papers on behalf of the firm, said that Ukata was wrongfully detained by NCS officials attached to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos sometime in November 2015 for being in possession of foreign exchange which he had voluntarily declared at the NCS desk.

According to the  firm  in November 2015, it was contracted by Aerodocs Inc. USA to clear its cargo at Chad and deliver same to Millicom, Chad at an agreed cost of $46,731 and  payment was subsequently made through Access Bank Plc.The firm averred that after  confirming the arrival of the cargo at Ndjamena Airport, that  it withdrew the sum of $42,200 from the amount paid into its Access Bank Plc account and detailed its Managing Director, Ukata to travel to Ndjamena vie Duala Airport for the purpose of clearing and delivery of the cargo.

Ukata according the firm’s court papers finally made arrangement to travel on November 15, 2016 with the view that the cargo would be cleared on November 16 so as to avoid incurring demurrage. But on getting to the Lagos Airport, the firm said  Ukata went through all the departure formalities including declaring the $42,200 that was with him before the two NCS officials, one Mrs Oshilaja and Mr K.S Ugboaja.

Yoruba, Hausa residents clash in Lagos: 3 killed, Customs officer injured

LAGOS—Three persons were shot dead yesterday, during a shootout between hoodlums and some officers attached to the Federal Operations Zone A, Ikeja, of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, at White Sand community in Ijora Badia area of Lagos State.

Three others, among who was a Customs officer, also sustained gunshot injuries.

Trouble started, Monday, following a clash between Hausa and Yoruba residents over accusation by the latter that the former had been terrorising the area.

A resident, Tajudeen Shamsudeen, explained that a boy, identified as Ojo, said to be on his way home, was allegedly stabbed to death by some Hausa boys.

Shamsudeen said: “For long, these Hausa boys have been attacking people here. They waylay people, dispose them of cash and belongings. Even rulers of both ethnic groups are aware of the issue.”

The attack on Ojo, according to him, sparked a riot during which dangerous weapons were freely used by both parties.

But for the timely arrival of policemen from Ijora Badia, the situation would have assumed a violent dimension. 10 persons were said to have been arrested in connection with the unrest.Demolition of shanties in the troubled community started yesterday morning.

While unconfirmed reports had it that it was on the order of the state government, the Hausa alleged that the demolition was carried out in their places of abode only.

While the demolition was ongoing, some Custom officers, who residents alleged were invited by the Seriki Hausa, stormed the community in three patrol vehicles at about 2.30p.m. They were alleged to have fired sporadically to scare off some hoodlums, who were roaming the area.

Customs impounds N400m hard drugs smuggled from Ghana

The Western Marine Command of Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, recently impounded 111 bags of hard drugs, cannabis sativa, smuggled into the country from Ghana with a market value of over N400 million.
The Customs Area Controller, CAC, of the Command, Comptroller Umar Yusuf, who made this known in Lagos, revealed that 10 suspects were arrested in connection with the smuggling.
He said: “During our investigations, we discovered that these drugs came from Ghana. Also, they have less smoke and are stronger than the type you see in Nigeria. We have a bilateral relation with Ghana, so it is imperative for us to meet with their government over this sensitive issue of national concern.
“The arrest was made possible by our officials working in the Customs Intelligence Unit, CIU. They operate at strategic areas of the marine where they send signals to other patrol units.”

Customs Seizes N101bn Goods Over False Declaration At Lagos Port

As a fallout of the cancelled benchmark scheme on imported items, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) few days ago clampdown on containers with false declaration, making seizure of N101 billion worth of items at the Apapa port.
The Customs high command cancelled the benchmark scheme, under which importers could have paid the same duty on containers irrespective of their content and their value, when it was confronted with so much criticism.
The customs then insisted on the full implementation of Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) to ensure that imported items are accurately declared for clearance at the gateways by the importers.
Last week, the Nigeria Customs Service made good its threat with the seizure of seven containers, which were wrongly declared apparently to avoid full duty payment by the owners.
At a media briefing in Lagos, the Apapa Command’s Customs Area Controller, Yusuf Adamu Garko said the seized containers, which consisted various goods were imported into the country with alleged forged import documents and false declaration of description and quantity with the intention of evading the payment of correct customs duties.
According to him, the items seized were discovered through intelligence report, scanning and proper documentation in the process of their clearance.
The items seized include: 1x 20’ container of batteries, 1 x 20’ container of used engines, 1 x 40’ container of used Hiace bus containing 75 cartons of deodorant spray and various auto parts, and 2 x 40’ containers of new electronics including LCD televisions, Hi-Fi sound systems, blue ray players and many more.
The area comptroller noted that the seizure was the biggest ever made this year, adding that at the beginning of the fiscal year, the command sounded a warning to all importers to be at their best behaviour while conducting their official businesses.
“While we have noted that a good number of importers and their agents are complying, we also observed that there are die hard mischiefmakers that are hell bent on circumventing the law. We have, therefore, decided to be unrelenting in pursuing all those, who refuse to comply with import rules and guidelines,” he said.
Garko said that two suspects have been arrested in connection with these imports, adding that his command has commenced the process that will culminate into their prosecution.

Customs, FIRS, DPR got N142bn as incentives in Buhari’s 1st yr

Three major revenue collecting agencies of the federal government have shared a total of N142.6 billion between June 2015 and May 2016.

This is the cost of revenue collected by the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, and the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR.

In an investigation by the  Economic Confidential  from its published monthly Federation Account Allocations, the Federal Inland Revenue Service raked in N85.94 billion between June 2015 and May 2016, which is four percent of the total sum of its collection into the federation Account.

It is followed by the Nigeria Custom Service with the sum of N35.78 billion which was seven percent of the total Revenue it collected for the federation, while the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, got N20.88 billion which is four percent of its collected revenue within the period under review.

The investigation further revealed that the total cost of collection of FIRS in the first year of Buhari’s administration, which was N85.94 billion, is higher than the combination of what NCS and DPR received which amounted to N56.66 billion.

Most of the highest cost of collections shared by the revenue collecting agencies were made in 2015, while the lowest disbursements were made in 2016. For instance, within the period. the highest cost of collection received by FIRS was N23bn in July 2015; that of NCS was N3.5bn in November 2015 and that of DPR was N2.5bn in July 2015.

Meanwhile, the lowest cost of collections received by FIRS was N4.2bn in April 2016, that of NCS was N1.1bn in May 2016 and DPR was also N1.1bn in March 2016. The three federal revenue collecting agencies are the beneficiaries of special allocations from the Federation Account as incentives for their revenue drive.

2016/2017 Nigeria Custom Service Online Job Application Form Is Now On Sale

Nigeria Customs Service 2016/2017 form is out and Application is Ongoing.Read Carefully on how to
purchase your Form – suitably & qualified persons are invited for full time appointments to the following positions.

Application Requirement;

The minimum qualifications for interested applicants are

SSCE/NECO/GCE/NCE/ND / HND/BSC/ Applicants applying as

man (SUPERINTENDENT CADRE) and women

(SUPERINTENDENT CADRE) must be between 18 and 35 years

of age by November 20th 2016 and must possess SSCE/NECO/

GCE/ND/HND/BSC. or any relevant certificates from

reputable and approved government institutions/

organisations,valid identity card and 2 passport.

Male applicants must not be less than1 .68 metres tall while

female applicants must not be less than 1.65 metres tall.

Recruit Training Field

Method of Application for the 2016 Nigeria Customs Service Recruitment.

Nigeria Customs Intercepted N150 Million Worth of Cannabis

In a shocking interception which surpassed every seizure ever made by the Badagry command of the Nigeria Customs Service on Thursday intercepted cannabis worth N150 million and arrested a suspect. 

According to a report on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Western Marine Command of the Nigeria Customs Service on Thursday, intercepted cannabis worth N150 million and arrested a suspect.

The controller of Western Marine Command, Umar Yusuf, said the seizure was made on February 9 in Badagry, as he handed over the illicit drug and the suspect over to the Lagos commander of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Sule Aliyu.

He disclosed that a 25-year-old suspect, Bala Mamudu, of Awuse village, Ojo, Lagos, was arrested. According to him, the team was liaising with other security agencies to check smugglers, adding that the command had repaired 14 of its patrol boats.

Yusuf appealed to the customs authorities for more training of officers and men of the command, and assured that his team would never relent in the drive to ward off smugglers.

He added that the seizure surpassed every seizure ever made by the command.

Customs destroys N12.8million imported frozen poultry

The Oyo/Osun Command of the Nigeria Customs on Thursday said it has intercepted Tipper loaded with smuggled imported frozen poultry products after three days of ambush along the Agunrege/Saki axis, in Atisbo Local Government area of Oyo state.

The seized frozen poultry products packed in 1600 cartons were buried and destroyed by the officers.

At the site of the destruction were Customs and police officials, newsmen, members of the public and officials of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

The poultry products which was worth N12.8million, according to the Command was made possible through intelligence gathering.

Speaking at the destruction of the banned poultry products at the Arapaja Dump site at Oluyole Local Government of the state, the Customs Area Comptroller of the Command, Mr Temitope Ogunkua said customs officers would not relent in their effort to stop smuggling of banned products.

“We will continue to chase them and we will reduce smuggling in the Command. What you have seen is one of the antics of smugglers. If you see that vehicle you will think its carrying gravel but from the intelligence we gathered we discovered it was loaded with imported frozen poultry products. Apart from the fact that poultry product is prohibited what about the health hazard to people who consume these products. I use this opportunity again to appeal to Nigerians that they should stop smuggling and we should be wary of the things they buy “, he said.

Also showcased before newsmen were two fairly used DAF truck with registration numbers AGL 709 XR and LSD 774 XF which were arrested by officers of the Command at different border locations within the state.

The trucks were loaded with smuggled imported 900 bags of 50kg of rice .

The Controller who warned members of the public against consuming imported frozen poultry because of its various health hazards revealed that the Command has devised strategies to beat all methods of concealment used by smugglers.

”The Command wishes to use this medium to reiterate that our resolve to remain resilient and dogged still stands as we continue to re-engineer our operational architecture in the realisation and actualiation of the service core mandate of revenue generation and suppression of smuggling”, Ogunkua said.

Import duties soar in Nigeria over new forex rules

Duties on shipping business at the ports have shot up astronomically in the wake of the new flexible foreign exchange rate policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Already, the Federal Government has launched the implementation of the new policy, which customs and clearing agents lament has hiked duties by about 40 per cent.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) had through a memo issued to all zonal co-ordinators and area controllers on July 1, 2016 directed that all commands should begin to charge duties based on the new foreign exchange regime.

The circular, signed by Deputy Comptroller-General, Tariff and Trade, A. Adewusi, said the calculation of customs duties based on the N197 to one US dollar exchange rate was no longer tenable.
However, the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has complained that the operations of the NCS is shrouded in secrecy, because they are always left in the dark over new policies including the schedule of import duties.

The President of ANLCA, Prince Olayiwola Shuttu, said yesterday that the new policy would not only affect shipping costs but ultimately trigger inflation in the economy.

“It is not only affecting the customs duties, it is affecting the purchasing power of Nigerians. It is an economic downturn that is affecting the operators, including terminal operators and other investors in the system. It is a watershed in the maritime industry,” he said.

Shittu lamented that the NCS does not find it necessary to issue circulars to operators and this has further enhanced corruption in the import duty processes.

He said: “NCS is not in the habit of circulating circulars to Customs agents . That is why the officers on the field continued to extort our members, because we don’t know the actual bill and they capitalize on the ignorance to fleece our people.

“Circulars from Customs about operations on what you have to do or comply with, should be made public. Why is the secrecy behind it? Even now if you are bringing a vehicle into the country, you don’t know how much you have to pay until you go to the Customs and start asking questions. They will tell you rates based on their discretions without showing you the official benchmark. Why shouldn’t people know? If you are talking about transparency in a new government, then everything should be open so that if you are bringing in a vehicle you already know how much to pay.

“You will pay and take your vehicle, but when things are done secretly, there will be extortion.”

But the Deputy Customs Public Relations Officer, Joseph Attah, said the import duty is a public document that is duly posted on its website for easy access by everybody.

“Customs don’t charge, we have a Common External Tariff that stipulates the charges. Tariff is a public document. It is even on our website and every agent that is worth his salt will download the copy. It is even available in the zonal office in Lagos and when it comes to exchange rate, Nigerian Customs does not issue directives, it is the CBN that is in charge,” he explained.

A freight forwarder, Wale Odunusi, said the implementation of the new forex rule has affected operations, because people are finding it difficult to pay higher duties due to the economic recession.

Odunusi said the increase in duties on imported goods would translate to higher cost of goods in the market, as the country relies largely on imports.

Customs intercepts 625 cartons of fake drugs

Few weeks after the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone ‘C’, Owerri seized 906 cartons of fake drugs, the Command has again intercepted 625 cartons of fake and unregistered drugs brought illegally into the area by smugglers.

The Command also arrested 42 suspects in connection with the items.

The Customs Area Controller, CAC, of the Unit, Comptroller Haruna Mammudu, disclosed this, stressing that the recent trend on interception of fake drugs and numerous prohibited goods were made possible through the collaboration of his unit with other government security agencies operating in the hinterland.

According to him: “The offensive items were concealed in different vehicles with other general goods by smugglers in a bid to escape security checks, but the operational efficiency of our men paid off, as they were all arrested.

“Our officers are strategically positioned in specific areas of the Unit to ensure that contra-band items coming from the border stations do not have access to the local markets in the Unit. We are at a alert every moment. For instance, the number of cases we have in court now have rapidly increased from 18 to 25, and we will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute smugglers.”

NCS impounds three bullet-proof cars with DPV of N76m

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Command on Tuesday seized three bullet-proof cars with a Duty Paid Value of N76million.

The Area Controller, Mr Victor Dimka, a Comptroller, disclosed this at a briefing held at the vehicle seat in the command.

He disclosed that individuals who desired to import bullet-proof cars into the country must get clearance from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

“The command seized three bullet-proof cars with a Duty Paid Value of N76million and this was done through intelligence gathering by officers of the command.

“A particular bullet-proofcar, which was a 2012 Mercedes C300, was intercepted at the Gbaji area of Badagry and it had an official plate number of FG 35 S02.

“Due process must be followed in the importation of bullet-proof cars and the process is that the individual must apply to the ONSA and if it is approved, the office would send an approval certificate to the NCS and the individual would be allowed.

“All the cars that were seized have been handed over to the Department of State Security Service, for further investigation,’’ he said.

The Area Controller warned that any further attack by smugglers on its officers would no longer be tolerated.

“A situation where officers performing their legitimate duties are always ambushed and maimed with dangerous weapons would no longer be accepted or tolerated.

“Enough is enough. We are backed up by law so we are carrying out our legitimate duties by working to stem smuggling, so we are ready for war over this matter.

“Smuggling is dangerous to the economy, so anyone involved in it is considered as an enemy of the nation.

“We have upgraded ourselves and we have everything we need, so people should desist from smuggling or be ready to face the full wrath of the law,” Dimka said.

The NCS Comptroller reiterated the command’s commitment to surpass its revenue target for 2016, adding that all revenue loopholes have been effectively blocked.

Customs target more revenue from excise duties

In a renewed drive to shore up its revenue base, the Nigeria Customs Service has targeted the enforcement of excise duty payments.

The Coordinator, Zone A, NCS, Eporwei Edike, made the call during a visit to the NIPOST office at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja.

He was accompanied by the Customs Area Controller of the MMA, Allanah Frank.

Edike called for the reconciliation of the duties remitted by NIPOST and the returns collected by the Customs, after being informed that NIPOST had remitted all duties collected directly into the Federal Government’s account.

He said, “The duties remitted by NIPOST into the Federal Government Account must tally with the returns you have. A comprehensive report must be forwarded to your controller.” Officers had earlier been assigned by the Customs NIPOST office to go round the NIPOST offices within Lagos and collect returns.

Edike inspected the basement of the international wing of the Lagos airport to ensure officers perform their duties in a professional manner.

The zonal coordinator also embarked on the inspection of factories in Lagos.

He enquired about the level of compliance among factories in the payment of excise duties.

Some of the factory owners said the difficulty in accessing foreign exchange, high interest rate, and the unfriendly business environment affected their ability to pay excise duties.

Edike, however, urged them to comply with the law and insisted that all outstanding payments must be paid in full.

He said, “Until we are directed otherwise, we have a duty to implement policies meant for national development. Everybody is going through a tough time. Government too is not finding it easy.

“Imports through the sea ports are not as they use to be, which is why we are visiting the factories to know if they have complied with the law on excise duty. It is in the interest of citizens, our collective national interest that they comply and that is what we are out to enforce.”

While many of the factories visited showed signs of efforts at compliance with industrial standards and acceptable hygienic conditions, some were a far cry from the minimum.

At such sites, Edike directed the Customs Area Controller of Lagos Industrial Command, Mrs. Aremu Adeyanju, to invite the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control to visit the factories for inspection and re-certification.

He said, “The Nigeria Customs Service is not interested in closing factories; we are doing all we can to support their business. If after our efforts, they still fail to do what is expected, nobody can blame the Customs for whatever happens.

“We are partners in national development and economic growth but that does not mean government will forfeit its badly needed revenue. Do not hesitate to contact us any time you have any matter to discuss. We will listen and resolve whatever issue that comes up.”

EXCLUSIVE: Nigeria Custom boss, Hamid Ali, violates Buhari’s directive, flies first class from London

The Comptroller General of Customs, Hamid Ali, a well known ally of President Muhammadu Buhari, was spotted on Tuesday flying first class on British Airways flight from London to Abuja, in clear violation of President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive banning public officials from flying first class.

The BA flight BA83 which took off from Gate 43 of Heathrow Terminal 5, London, on Tuesday, nearly an hour behind its scheduled 10.43pm departure time, arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Wednesday morning at about 5a.m, with Mr. Ali on board.

The reasons for Mr. Ali’s travel to London remained unknown as at the time of publishing this report, but customs insiders said the trip was official.

Several passengers on the flight told source they saw Mr. Ali seated in the First Class compartment of the aircraft during the flight.

“It was a major talking point among some passengers whether the policy (barring public officials from flying first class) is being implemented with exceptions or whether it is meant for the shelves,” one passenger on the flight told this newspaper.

There were notable Nigerians on board and a number of them confirmed to this newspaper that the customs comptroller-general was in the first class cabin of the aircraft during the flight.

A first class ticket to and from London costs $11,423.23 (about N3.4million).

Besides being a close friend of Mr. Buhari, Mr. Ali, a retired army colonel, is a man seen by many Nigerian as frugal and incorruptible.

When Source contacted the customs spokesperson, Wale Adeniyi, on Thursday, he confirmed Mr. Ali was on the BA flight, but that he travelled on a business class ticket.

Mr. Adeniyi was not on the flight, and he responded to our reporter’s enquiry without checking with Mr. Ali.

But our sources, some of whom travelled business class, said Mr. Adeniyi’s claim was inaccurate.

“That is not true,” one passenger said. “I was on business class, and I was awake most of the flight. So if you line up those on business class during that flight, I can identify them.”

President Buhari had in April caused the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, to issue a circular to all government agencies barring top officials from travelling first class.

The measure was to cut the high cost of travelling by public officials, Mrs. Adeosun said.

The minister said even travels with Business Class tickets remained strictly restricted to only ministers, permanent secretaries, chairmen of Federal Government committees as well as chairmen and chief executives of parastatals and agencies.

That means other categories of government officials, including directors and special assistants, are to travel on economy tickets.

Mrs. Adeosun said the measure was part of the recommendations by the Efficiency Unit of her ministry to cut travel expenditure by about 20 per cent.

The recommendations were as a result of the review of the provisions of some extant government circulars on overhead expenses on official travels, the minister said.

The review was carried out in collaboration with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF).

Administration insiders said the appointment letter issued to Mr. Ali by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation indicated clearly that he could only fly on business class tickets.

It however remained unclear Friday how the Ministry of Finance is monitoring and enforcing compliance with the circular on travel expenses by officials.