Revenues from customs imports grow by 16.33%, ammunition and fake drugs worth N1.8 billion are intercepted

2022 revenue generated by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) Tin-Can Island command, from cargoes imported into the country, increased by 16.33 percent, LEADERSHIP has learned.

Speaking in Lagos on Friday at a press conference to announce the command’s performance report between January and December 2022, Customs Area Comptroller, Comptroller Olakunle Oloyede, said the command generated N574.3 billion in 2022.

According to him, the 2022 revenue was higher than 2021 by 80.6 billion naira, saying that the recorded increase was a result of reshuffling and redeployment of officers using Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Force (SWOT) analysis.

“The Tincan Island Command ended the year, from January to December 2022, with modest achievements in the areas of income generation, trade facilitation, law enforcement, fight against smuggling, among others. The implemented modalities guided the identification of revenue leakage areas, blocked them and took advantage of the facilities available in the NICIS II Platform to improve Risk Management Processes (RMP), culminating in accelerated Customs Clearance Processes, facilitation of trading and ensuring the collection of appropriate duties and taxes.

“The Commando collected a total of N574.3 billion between January and December 2022. This figure, compared to N493.6 billion collected in 2021, indicates an increase of N80.6 billion, representing a percentage increase of 16.33% with respect to the revenue collection of the previous year. .

“This feat could be attributed to the constant readjustment of existing measures aimed at maintaining the command’s income profile, as well as the use of some disruptive strategic measures, such as periodic capacity building, reorganization and redeployment of officers using SWOT analysis. , the implementation of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), assessment, automation of the 846 procedure, reintroduction and deployment of a non-intrusive inspection technology (NIIT) team for the Command, appropriate profiling, system audit, review or adequate examination and detailed but clear entry Inspection Records”, Compt. Oloyede said.

He continued: “The Command also ensured strong and ongoing stakeholder engagements and collaboration with all government agencies and maritime associations. This led to timely intelligence sharing, utilization, and voluntary compliance with existing government laws by the business public.”

Oloyede further revealed that in 2022, the commando intercepted 38 different contrabands, such as illicit and fake drugs, bales of second-hand clothes, among others, worth more than N1.8 billion.

However, he warned importers of illicit and fake drugs to stay away from the command, saying processes are in place on the ground to intercept and confiscate the importation of illicit goods through the command.

“The Command increased the surveillance of the declarations to detect improper declarations and offensive articles. This paid off when the Command recorded a total of 38 seizures with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N1.85 trillion.

“These seizures comprise 763 packages of Colarado, Cannabis Sativa weighing 345.1 kg with a street market value of seven hundred and fourteen million, six hundred thousand naira N714.6 million; 5060 pieces of used motor tires; 1,150 Bales of second-hand clothing; 1,190 boxes of 20 per box of potassium bromate and baking powder; 11,392 Cartons of 1200 per Carton Armcol Injectable Chloroquine Phosphate 322.5mg.5ml (IV and IM); 206,000 pieces of finished matches; 1383 boxes of 50 rolls per box of cigarettes and 650 boxes of 50 pieces per box of New Ladies Shoes”.

“Others are 2,666 pieces on 36 pallets of New Starter Ex-Premium inverter Battery; 1,980 Cartons of Assorted Non-Alcoholic Beverages and 1,048 Cartons of Tilda Basmatic Rice; 2594 pieces of ammunition and 20 pieces of weapons comprising 1 pistol with 611090 (S/W) JCP 40 mm model; 1 Co2 air pistol used with accessories cal 117 (4.5m) BM; 1 Marksman repeating pistol, 6 Mace pepper pistols and 10 suspect weapons of various types.”

This record number of seizures, compared to the 2021 record of 27 seizures with a DPV of N607 million, shows an increase of 11 seizures and N1.2 billion. The increase in the DPV rate could be associated with increased surveillance, an intensified campaign against smuggling, a high value of seized items, and the devaluation of the Naira leading to a high exchange rate on imported items,” he concluded.