Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Oyo/Osun Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has met 32 percent of its annual revenue target in the first four months of the year.
This was disclosed by Customs Area Controller, Mrs Uche Ngozi, noting that the command generated revenue of over N20 billion into the coffers of the federal government in the period.
As a revenue generating agency, the federal government gave the command an annual revenue target of N62.8 billion for 2020.
The Customs boss, speaking at the Command’s headquarters in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital recently, said apart from ensuring that government fiscal policy was enforced and local production encouraged, the Command seized over 35,000 litres of petrol, and 3,465 bags of rice between March and April, 2020.
According to her, “We are proud to inform the public that through these difficult months of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, we have worked tirelessly as a service to ensure that our borders are secure and smuggling activities are reduced to the nearest minimum.
“We combed the bushes day and night to ensure that government fiscal policy is enforced.”
She further disclosed that within the same period, the Command made a seizure of 180 bales of second hand clothing from a train operated by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) with duty paid value of over N13 million.
While stating that no fewer than 63 persons were arrested in connection with the smuggling of prohibited items into the country, the Controller noted that the total duty paid value for all the seizures is N97 million.
She said the arrest and interception of the prohibited items is coming several weeks after the federal government closed Nigerian borders, explaining that men of the Command carried out their anti-smuggling activities with utmost professionalism.
“Within the period under review, we have made 72 seizures and detentions. We have carried out enforcement and anti-smuggling activities with utmost professionalism, caution and intelligence gathering.
“We urge the public to cooperate with the Nigeria Customs Service in the implementation of government fiscal policies to help improve the economic and social welfare of the nation,” she said.
She also said the Command was able to seal a petrol station carrying out illegal activities, saying, “with smart intelligence gathering, we ads able to identify a petrol filing station carrying out illegal activities within its premises.
“The petrol station has been sealed and arrested suspects were made to write statement and undertaking to desist from such illicit activities.”
