The Murtala Muhammed Airport Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), says it generated N144.2 billion in import duties and other charges between January and October 2024.
The Customs Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Micheal Awe, disclosed this at news conference on Wednesday in Lagos.
He said that the revenue generated represented a 94 per cent increase compared to the N74.28 billion collected within the same period of 2023, reflecting a progressive difference of N69.9 billion.
He attributed the growth to enhanced trade facilitation, improved stakeholder compliance, effective law enforcement and strategic resource deployment.
Others, he noted, included interagency collaboration, efficient cargo clearance and intelligent risk management strategies.
The comptroller said that the command also intercepted contraband worth N3.32 billion imported into the country from Canada, Turkiye, among others, between July to October.
“In comparison to the revenue collected in the same period in 2023, which stood at N74.28 billion, this clearly shows a progressive difference of N69.9 illion, depicting 94 per cent increase.
“The efforts to combat illicit trade yielded impressive results, with total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of seized items amounting to N3.32 billion between July and October 2024.
“The seized items contravened some of the provisions of the extant laws as enshrined in the Nigeria Customs Service Act (NCS Act) 2023.
“These items include 23 pieces of Walkie-Talkies; 175 pieces of Military helmets; 50 pieces of drones; 10 packs of Canadian Cannabis Sativa and 250 pieces of live turtles.
“Others are seven packages of 200mg & 225mg of Tramadol Hydrochloride; 1.5kg of Pangolin Scales and 0.2kg of Porcupine Pins,” Awe said.
He said that the command implemented initiatives such as streamlined clearance procedures, enhanced cargo inspection and examination to boost revenue collection, facilitate legitimate trade and curb smuggling.
Awe said that the command also introduced improved intelligence gathering and sharing, in collaboration with other security agencies and regular stakeholder engagements.
He said that the command would enhance trade facilitation measures, strengthen anti-smuggling efforts, improve stakeholder engagement and leverage on technology for efficient operations.
He expressed appreciation to Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi and his management team for their unwavering support toward carrying out official tasks effectively.
“I also commend officers and men of the command for their hard-work and dedication towards achieving this great feat.
“Kudos to our stakeholders, including importers, exporters and clearing agents for their cooperation and compliance to extant laws,” Awe added. (NAN).
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