Nigeria Custom Get N83.14m From Importers At Tin-Can Island, Apapa Ports

The Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, of the Nigerian Customs Service recently reported that it has recovered N83.14 million from importers who paid lower Customs Duty to the federal government at the Apapa and Tin-Can Island Ports.

Compt. Hussein Ejibunu revealed this to journalists in Lagos in a press briefing. He said all the revenue generated was through documentary checks and the issuance of demand notices on consignments that exceeded the two seaports.

He said,

• Upon revenue recovery, N83.14 million was generated through documentary checks and the issuance of demand notices on consignments that were found to have been short-paid.

He added that the division intercepted 60 seizures with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N854.1 million in January 2024.

The seizures were 23,025 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol and 3,653 bags (6.5 trucks) of 50kg of foreign parboiled rice smuggled from the Benin Republic.

Others include 241 bales of used clothes, 1,490 kg of Indian Hemp, 1,220 cartons of foreign tomato paste, 983 pieces of used tyres, 104 units of Haojue motorcycles, 556 cartons of slippers and 11 units of used vehicles.

He said smuggling goods into the country seriously affects the economy, environment, health, and security. He is calling for collaboration and strong partnerships with other stakeholders through the sharing of information and intelligence.

He added,

• Smuggling is a crime that has to do with the acts of false declaration and concealment of goods, the use of unapproved routes and ports for the exportation or importation of goods, the forging of Customs documents, willful underpayment of Customs duties, and trafficking in prohibited or restricted goods, among others.

• Smuggling seriously affects the economy, the environment, health, and security. Thus, to restrain this trend of illegal commercial activities, there is a need for collaboration and strong partnerships with other critical stakeholders through the sharing of information and intelligence.

• In a continuous and renewed vigour to fight smuggling, we activated an enhanced intelligence-gathering and information-sharing mechanism. We identified some new smuggling hotspots and schemes employed by smugglers. This strategy yielded 60 seizures worth a total duty-paid value of N854.1 million.

• The status of these goods was found to have contravened different sections of the Customs Act (2023), while some expired at the time of importation; others flaunted the import statutory guidelines. A total of ten suspects were arrested in connection with some of the goods.

Ejibunu warned the public against the consequences of smuggling, saying it is harmful.

• The general public is encouraged to be aware of the consequences of smuggling and its harmful effects. This awareness would help reduce the demand for smuggled goods and discourage individuals from participating in smuggling activities.

• Having established that smuggling is a crime that affects the nation's general well-being, it becomes compelling for all patriotic citizens to join the enforcement and regulatory agencies to curb the menace of smuggling.

Back Story
Last month, the Tin-Can Island command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) announced that it had generated N716 billion from goods that will be imported into the country in 2023. Breaking down the earnings and giving a target for 2024, the Command's Customs Area Controller in Lagos, Comot. Dera Nnadi says that the command targets N1.130 trillion in 2024.