Oyo/Osun Customs Generate N80.3bn As Duties Seize Goods Worth N931.935m In 15 Months, A total sum of N80,378,935,034.59 billion has been generated by the Oyo/Osun Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in the last 15 months.
Disclosing this during a press briefing on Tuesday to highlight the achievements of the area command in generating revenue for the federal government, the Customs Area Controller, Adamu Abdulkadir said that the highest duty collected in a single month in the history of the command was N10.658,695,609.41 billion in June 2021.
The Comptroller stated that between November 2021 and January 2022, the area command collected duty totalling N17,161,205,519.34 billion, representing an increase of 0.16 per cent in comparison with that of November 2020 to January 2021.
He also said that the Area Command made 356 seizures of smuggled goods with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N931,935,816 million within the same period.
Abdulkadir added that 46 detentions and 19 arrests were also made, with the suspects granted bail pending the determination of their cases in courts.
Among the seized goods were 21,393 bags of 50-kg foreign parboiled rice, Premium Motor Spirit in 33,000-litre tanker, 3,512 25-litre kegs, 62 100-litre drums, 100 100-litre sacks, as well as 70 25-litre kegs of diesel.
Others were 2,990 used tyres, 287 bales of used clothes, 20 bales of used shoes, 17 vehicles, nine sacks of cannabis sativa, 595 25-litre and 138 10-litre kegs of foreign vegetable oil and many more.
Oyo/Osun Customs Generate N80.3bn As Duties Seize Goods Worth N931.935m In 15 Months
The Comptroller said that in fulfilment of the mandate of the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim (retd), to fight against smuggling of prohibited and restricted items, various task force teams such as PMS, Excise, Operation Fish Out and Mining, were created by the area command, with committed officers who made them functional, efficient and effective.
He said that working along the mandate “has helped in stemming the menace of insecurity, improving health conditions and saving our local industries.”
Abdulkadir further remarked that the area command, under his management, had enhanced its anti-smuggling strategies by taking the battle to the doorsteps of the smugglers.
“We have sharpened our intelligence and enforcement capabilities to fight to smuggle and enforce compliance, with reference to extant laws guiding our procedures and rules of engagement.
“We have deployed all our strength and available logistics to make Oyo and Osun states unbearable for economic saboteurs and ensure success in the battle against those who would like to dare the capability of officers of the Oyo/Osun Area Command,” he stated.
Acknowledging the assistance of Customs Intelligence and Federal Operations Units, CGC Strike Force, Customs Police and Joint Border Patrol for the feat achieved, the Comptroller also noted the efforts of other security agencies such as the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, 671 Detachment of the Nigeria Air Force, Operation Burst, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and Amotekun Corps in the fight against criminality.
He also spoke on the support of the state governor, Seyi Makinde, in reaching out to legislators and chairmen of local government areas to sensitise youth, traditional, religious and community leaders on the need for cordial relationship and cooperation with Customs personnel to avoid a repeat of a 2021 incident which resulted in the loss of lives and collateral damages.