The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Comptroller General of Customs (CGC) Strike Force Team Zone “A’’, says the zone generated N1.4 billion in four weeks.
Deputy Comptroller Ahmadu Shuaibu, the Coordinator of the zone, made the disclosure on Wednesday during a display of seizures at the Ikorodu Container Terminal in Lagos.
He said that the total Duty Paid Value (DPV) for operations for the period under review, Oct. 2, 2020 to date, stood at N894,907,558 for anti-smuggling and N489,991,803 for Debit Note (DN).
According to him, the summary of the seizures from October 2020 to date includes 50kg of foreign rice, 1252 bags, 564 bales of Ankara materials, 637 bales of foot wears and 30,256 bags of foreign bags with a DPV of N894,907,558.
He noted that upon assumption of duty in October 2020, the sum of N517,708,473 was recovered and from January to Dec. 16,2020, the sum of N2,534,85,404 was realised from DN issued.
“We are here at the Ikorodu Terminal to display the anti-smuggling exploit for the period under review, Oct. 2,2020 to date and incidentally, we have come to the end of the year.
“It is equally important to state that this particular team that came on board in October do not operate in isolation.
“We are happy to state the activities of the Strike Force Zone “A’’, comprised of two sections, Operations and Information Communication and Technology Unit.
“They are manned by able, intelligent, resourceful men and officers of the service, who at the risk of their personal safety, put in their best to ensure that the job is done.
“We are not oblivious of the fact that our tenure is going and we will use our time to contribute meaningfully to the progress of this country and we are not going to shy away from this responsibility.
“Today, we will showcase four spectacular seizures, though we have about ten of them but for the purpose of analysis, between January to date, the strike force has been able to generate through our intervention, over N2 billion from DN,” he said.
He noted that the people who were charged with the responsibility of overseeing what was happening right here in Lagos were determined to work and this was the reason the strike force would continue to exist.
He said that since the EndSARS protest, the youth had become very restive, attacking operatives of government.
“Fortunately, we have not recorded any calamity.
“Our operatives with stack intelligence evacuated a warehouse in Lagos; over 30,000 foreign bags of contrabands were evacuated without any stone thrown at them,” he said.
Shuaibu called for a better Nigeria.
“We need to contribute our quota to ensure that restiveness of our youths is reduced.
“Honest declaration is what we want. Importers and their agents should come to terms with reality that anything they are bringing in should conform to rules and regulations.
“Everybody should be nationalistic in thinking, patriotic in our actions so that we can defend and protect this country, contribute to the quality of the country so that Nigeria will be a better place for our children.
“We are all Nigerians; smugglers should reform, change and let everyone be on the same page and if they insist on illegal activities, we will use our manpower and intelligence to checkmate them,” he said. (NAN)
