The Nigeria Customs Service, Oyo/ Osun command said it has collected the sum of N4, 895,772,769.90 revenue for the month of January 2021 and made various seizures amounting to a total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N393, 420,494 million between November 19, 2020 through January 31, 2021
The Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Adamu Abdulkadir disclosed this to news men on Thursday at the commands headquarter in Ibadan.
Comptroller Abdulkadir disclosed that the amount was generated through the seizures of various items which include 220 x 25 litre kegs of Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol), 20kg of Cannabis Sativa packed in a 20kg bag with DPV of ₦4,526,063, 3052 bags of foreign parboiled rice with DPV of ₦124,477,488, 8 x 25 litres of vegetable oil with DPV of ₦217,251, 60 bales of second hand clothing (Okrika) with DPV of ₦15,030,143, 246 pieces of used tyres with DPV of ₦2,698,866.
Others are 8 units of Toyota Camry cars (2020 Models) with DPV of ₦211,541,320, one used Toyota Highlander (2019 Model) with DPV of ₦33,710,363, 10 units of Motorcycles used as means of conveyance for smuggling of rice with DPV of ₦1,219,000 within the period under review.
While parading news men round the seizures, Abdulkadir hinted that the command’s operatives arrested two suspects during the period under review and have been granted bail pending determination of their cases, while some of the seized items would be auctioned and proceeds would be remitted accordingly and accounted for, upon approval from the Headquarters.
The Command boss added that under his management, the command has further enhanced its anti-smuggling strategies by taking the battle to the door steps of the smugglers, rather than waiting for them to come out, in an operation codenamed “Operation Fish Out”, by invoking sections 147 and 151 of the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) Cap C45 LFN 2004 which gives it the power to search premises for uncustomed goods and the power to give rewards to informants who give genuine intelligence to help improve the capabilities of the command on anti-smuggling duties.
He disclosed that the officers and men of the command shall further sharpen their intelligence and enforcement capabilities to fight smuggling and enforce compliance with reference to extant laws guiding the service procedures and rules of engagement.
“We shall deploy all our strength and available logistics to ensure success in the battle against those who would like to dare the capability of officers of Oyo/Osun Area Command. Oyo and Osun states will be made unbearable for economic saboteurs.
“Sections 158 and 167 of the Customs and Excise Management Act Cap C45 LFN 2004 allows officers of Nigeria Customs Service to patrol freely across the nation and also makes provision for detention, seizures and condemnation of goods that fail to conform with the rules guiding importation, exportation or local production of such goods, respectively.
“For those of you, who would rather be on the side of the smugglers, revealing our movement and actions to them, thereby making our job difficult, we would track, apprehend and prosecute you in accordance with section 77 of the CEMA for signaling to smugglers”, he said.
While commending the officers and men of the command for their resilience in the face of many challenges, the CAC sounded a strong note of warning to anyone wanting to test its resolve by daring to smuggle, stating that the law will catch up with them.
He added that the achievement recorded was made possible by the experience, resilience and vigilance of officers of the Command. They have given their best and shown that their enlistment into the Nigeria Customs Service was well deserved.
He also commend the efforts and contributions of the Customs Intelligence Unit, Federal Operations Unit, Strike Force,Customs Police and Joint Border Patrol Team , adding that other security agencies such as the Police, DSS, Nigerian Army, Oyo State Operation Burst and Amotekun played key roles in the fight against smuggling in the region.
While appreciating the current administration of Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd.) for his zero tolerance to all acts of corrupt practices, he also thanked the traditional rulers, community leaders, stakeholders and the good people of Oyo and Osun states in identifying and providing enabling environment for the officers to function properly and achieve the Command’s goals.
