The Federal Operations Unit Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service has raised Debit Notes on imports worth N17 billion between January and June 2020.
The Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has raised Debit Notes on imports worth ₦17 billion between January and June 2020.
The Acting Customs Area Controller of the unit, Usman Yahaya, made this known in a statement.
According to Yahaya, N15.6 billion was generated from contraband seized from smugglers while ₦1.4 billion were raised from the wrong classification, transfer of value and false declaration of cargoes.
He added that contraband intercepted by the unit were from smugglers terrorising the South Western states of the country and it includes used vehicles, pharmaceuticals, textiles, foreign parboiled rice, tomato paste, second-hand clothing, among others.
He noted that the Debit Notes were raised on importers who under-declared their cargoes for lesser Customs duty.
“The total Duty Paid Value of ₦15.6 billion were premised on seized contraband while the N1.3 billion were revenue from the unit interventions arising from wrong classifications, transfer of value and false declarations by importers.
“So, a total of ₦17 billion was recovered for the Federal Government in the period under review,” Yahaya said.
He noted that the unit also intercepted a truck load of banned textile materials worth ₦565 million imported from Benin Republic.
He said that 18,760 bags of foreign parboiled rice were smuggled into the country from Benin Republic and 64 units of exotic vehicles were intercepted and detained for duty evasion and underpayment.
“From Jan. 7, 64 exotic vehicles including two bulletproofs cars, 18,760 bags of 50kg of foreign parboiled rice valued at ₦469 million; 1,338kg of Indian hemp worth ₦201 million and 147 sacks (9,504kg) of Pangolin scales worth ₦10.4 billion.
“Others are 3,059 cartons of tomato paste, 10,653 cartons of frozen poultry products, 5,423 kegs of 25 litres each of vegetable oil, 56,472 bundles of Printed Textiles valued at ₦565 million, 66 packs of Tramadol, 872 bales of Second hand clothing worth ₦61 million and 11,077 cartons of frozen products worth ₦177 million.
“Also intercepted are 5,423 kegs of vegetable oil valued at ₦87 million, 7,549 jerry cans of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) valued at ₦27 million, five containers of pharmaceutical valued at ₦2.9 billion, 64 units of motorcycles used for smuggling valued at ₦565million, among others,” Yahaya said.
He, however, warned smugglers to embrace legitimate business as the unit was ready to send them out of illegitimate business.
He also disclosed that the seizure was borne out of intelligence and hard work of eagle-eye officers of the unit.
“My message to smugglers is that they should stop smuggling and embrace legitimate business because the unit is ready to run them out of business and we are always a step ahead of them through intelligence gathering and steadfastness.
“We will not get tired until the service suppressed smuggling finally from the South-West,” Yahaya said.
Source: NAN
