Customs generated over N95.7bn in August

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Saturday in Abuja said it generated over N95.7 billion in August.

The NCS Public Relations Officer, Mr Wale Adeniyi, said in an interview with news men that the revenue had been remitted to the Federal Government coffers.

Adeniyi expressed satisfaction that the NCS generated the amount in spite of the current foreign exchange challenge and low imports.

“Last month, August, 2016, the service recorded the highest revenue in 10 years despite the forex difficulty, low imports and general economic downturn.

“This points to the efficacy of the comptroller-general’s policy thrust.

Customs impound contraband valued at N250 million

The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’ Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted contraband with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of 186.9 million between July and August, 2016.
The Controller of the unit, Comptroller Umar Dahiru, said this on Tuesday in Lagos.
Dahiru said that the unit through its interventions recovered N63.5 million from vehicles and other goods, due to under-payment, undervaluation and false declarations.

He said that these cumulatively translated to N250.4 million in the two months under consideration.
“Within July and August 2016, about 225 different seizures were recorded, comprising foreign parboiled rice, frozen poultry products, fairly-used vehicles popularly known as `Tokunbo’, and various general merchandise,’’ Dahiru said.
He said that 23 suspects had been apprehended in connection with the seizures.

Tin-can Island Customs generates N26.2bn in August

For the Month of August 2016, the Tin-Can Island Customs Command of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) generated N26.2 Billion revenue. According to the command, the figure represents a positive signal “going by the indices of the previous month”.

It will be recalled that the Customs Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Bashar, Y. U had expressed his determination to Institute operational reforms and policies that will guarantee maximum revenue collections.
Some of the measures, according to a statement issued by the Command Spokesman, Uche Ejesieme on Monday includes creating the necessary awareness on the stakeholders towards complying with the Federal Government’s Fiscal Policies in terms of trade.

Customs loses N600bn to diverted vehicle imports

Nigerian ports have lost a whopping N600 billion in the last three years due to diversion in the importation of vehicles from the nation’s ports to neighbouring ports, especially the Cotonou port in the Republic of Benin findings have revealed.
This figure is said to be the value of the revenue that ought to have been collected by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) if the vehicles were shipped directly to Nigerian ports.

This is even as activities at the terminals designated for handling of Roll on Roll off (RORO) have plummeted.
Similarly, rice smuggling through the country’s borders has been on astronomical increase since the ban on rice importation through the country’s land borders.
The federal government had in March, announced the re-introduction of the ban. This was a reversal of an earlier policy in October 2015, which allowed rice imports through land borders provided appropriate duty was paid.

The Reason Why We Detained Vessel At Onne Port

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Eastern Marine Command (EMC), Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has given reasons why it detained a vessel named “MV Defender V”.
The vessel, a patrol boat from South Africa, used in piloting tanker vessels was said to have sailed into Nigeria territorial waters without the requisite documentations and procedures.

The Customs Area Controller (CAC), EMC, Comptroller Usman Bello, who confirmed the development sailed into Nigeria territorial waters without a valid bank bond.
Giving an insight into why officers and men of EMC detained the vessel, Bello revealed that though the 7-man crew had a temporary importation permit (TIP) but they had no valid bank bond.