Customs Recovers N72.4m From Importers at Seaports

The Customs CG, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, since coming on board, has rolled out a number of trade facilitation tools to help boost our revenue and grow the economy.

The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), located in Zone A, Ikeja, has been successful in recovering N72.4 million from dishonest importers and clearing agents who failed to pay the customs tax that was owed to the federal Clearing Agents government at the two shipping ports in Lagos.

According to the Customs Area Controller of the unit, Compt. Kola Oladeji, who was speaking at the media briefing in Lagos, Adewale Adeniyi, the Comptroller General of the Service, has implemented a number of trade facilitation tools since he joined the team. These tools are intended to assist in increasing the revenue of the nation and growing the economy.

Compt. Oladeji said, “The unit recovered a total sum of N72.4 million through the issuance of Demand Notices (DN) as a result of the irregular declaration of consignments. The unit will continue to enforce the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 as it relates to the import and export of goods to prevent revenue losses.

“The operatives of FOU ‘A’ have intensified surveillance of our borders within the South Western States. This onslaught is against the activities of economic saboteurs in areas of the service. Key Performance Indicators (KPI), which include revenue generation, suppression of smuggling and facilitation of legitimate trade, have continued to record significant successes through our ongoing operations code named ‘Swift Sting Operations’ and the efforts of other patrol teams.

“During the period under review, the unit recorded milestones in its anti-smuggling operations. Some of these landmark achievements comprise 82 interceptions.

“These seizures have a cumulative DPV) of N1.72 billion. The successes recorded so far this year were not made on a platter of gold, it took the painstaking efforts of our officers who spent hours on patrol and surveillance of our borders to achieve these seizures.

“Let me reiterate that we will not relent on our oars. Our resolve commitment to tame the activities of illegal trans-border trade and other crimes remains sacrosanct. The unit will continue to dialogue, engage, sensitize and educate the public on the social/ economic implications of smuggling as well as performing the statutory function of enforcing compliance in line with government fiscal policy.”

“The Customs CG, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, since coming on board, has rolled out a number of trade facilitation tools to help boost our revenue and grow the economy.

“Trade facilitation tools such as Time Release Study (TRS), Advance Ruling and the recently launched Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) have increasingly boosted investors’ confidence and efficiency of customs operations.

“This unit has since keyed into these laudable initiatives of the CGC by collapsing some patrol teams operating within the Lagos metropolis. This is aimed at removing unnecessary trade impediments and facilitates a business-friendly environment.”