The Apapa command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Lagos, has made a total seizure of 318 containers, including 133 containers of unregistered pharmaceutical products.
Giving the breakdown of the seizures, the command’s Area Controller, Mohammed Abba-Kura, said: “Some of the seized items are 133 containers of unregistered pharmaceuticals, including tramadol; 58 containers of parboiled rice; 30 containers of vegetable oil; 31 containers of used clothes and shoes; 13 containers of used tyres, and other sundry items.
“Accordingly, the command made a total of 318 seizures with duty paid value of over N21 billion. These figures almost tripled the total seizures for the year 2019, which stood at 112 with total duty paid value of N12.5 billion,” he said.
He added that in line with the provision of extant circulars, trade guidelines and enforcement of government fiscal policy measures, the command was able to strengthen its anti-smuggling operations against economic saboteurs, through credible intelligence-driven operations and continuous partnership with other agencies.
Abba-Kura further said the sum of N518.46 billion was remitted into the federation account as revenue between January and December 2020, as against N423.6 billion collected same period in 2019, stating that it showed a significant increase, with a difference of N94,379 billion, representing 22.3 per cent increase.
Abba- Kura attributed the feat to the commitment of officers and men of the command, who carried out strict enforcement of government’s fiscal policies.
“The export unit also witnessed a boost in its activities. From 262,095 metric tonnes in 2019, it rose to 1,311,365 metric tonnes in 2020. The Free on Board (FOB) value for the exported items equally moved up from $132,760,512.94 to $340,884,102.99 within the period under review. Items exported include steel bars, agricultural and mineral products, among others.”
