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In a determined effort to ensure that the core mandates of revenue generation, national security and suppression of smuggling activities are not compromised, the Area 1 Command of the Nigeria Customs Service in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has impounded four containers containing granite stones, ceramics and cable wire rolls used to conceal a total of 2,965 (25lts) jerry cans of vegetables oil.
The granite stones, cartons of tiles, and ceramics as well as cable wire rolls and other dutiable items were used to conceal the jerry cans of vegetables oil in an act which the Customs Area Comptroller, Ibrahim Mohammed, said contravenes the fiscal policy of the Federal Government.
Briefing journalists at the command headquarters recently, Comptroller Mohammed said the feat was achieved after due diligence was carried out on the consignment. Credible intelligence and proper examinations carried out by the command, he said, revealed that the importers and their agents cleverly used the tiles to conceal the vegetable oil.
The comptroller also revealed that one container laden with four hundred and eighty one (481) bales of second hand clothing as well as another with 700 packages of machetes and 107 packages of shovels which had no end-user certificate from the office of the National Security Adviser were also seized and detained, “considering that we are in an electioneering period.”
He assured that all suspects involved in these acts will be prosecuted and brought to book after investigation had been concluded.
The duty paid value of the seized containers, according to the comptroller, is put at N112,682,893.90 (One hundred and twelve million, Six Hundred and Eighty-Two Thousand, Eight Hundred and Ninety-Three Naira, Ninety Kobo).
On revenue generation, Comptroller Mohammed disclosed that the command generated over N92.3 billion in 2022 as against N81.3 billion generated in 2021, which represents a 12% increase of N11 billion.
He said that of the total revenue generated, the Port Harcourt International Airport contributed the sum of N11.3 billion, while over N5 billion was collected from excise duties from the two factories of International Brewery and Nigeria Bottling Company which are under the purview of the command.
Comptroller Mohammed noted that the revenue generated would have been surpassed if not for the war in Ukraine which affected the importation of bulk cargoes, which he said is the major import in the command as against container traffic which stands at zero because of the shallow draft which does not allow bigger vessels to berth at the port.
He however called on the authorities, NPA and the government, to come to their aid to dredge and desilt the river to allow for bigger vessels to come in order to boost the command’s revenue base.
While expressing appreciation to the management of the Nigeria Customs led by Col. Hameed Ali rtd, Comptroller Mohammed thanked stakeholders, other government agencies operating at the port, the media and port users for their support and collaboration with the command over the years, assuring that stakeholder engagement would be a continuous exercise in the interest of the command and the nation.
