Anti – Smuggling:Seme Customs makes Tremendous Interventions, Confiscates Truck Load Of Beans,82,930 litres Of Petrol,400% Increased In Revenue.

Anti – Smuggling:Seme Customs makes Tremendous Interventions, Confiscates Truck Load Of Beans,82,930 litres Of Petrol,400% Increased In Revenue.

 

Lucky Akra

 

The Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Command has makes a tremendous Interventions, as the command Confiscates Truck Load Of Beans,82,930 litres Of Petrol,400% Increased In Revenue Collection.

This is part of the effort geared towards curtailing Smuggling activities via the Seme Krake border to a lowest ebb.

 

The Command today announced it has successfully made168 interventions between January and February 2024, which resulted in the seizure of 2,193 bags of 50kg (3 trailer load equivalent), foreign parboiled rice, 81,930 litres of petrol (3 tankers equivalent), 9 vehicles, 1425 General Merchandise, 265 Parcels of Cannabis Sativa and other narcotics. 249pkgs of codeine and 2 locally manufactured guns. All with a combined Duty Paid Value ( DPV) of 365,888,696.00.

 

While addresssing Journalists round the seizures, the Controller of the Seme Customs Command, Compt. Timi Bomodi disclosed that 13 suspects were arrested in connection with these seizures, six of which were granted administrative bails, three however, we’re handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA for further Agency action,one was handed over to the Nigerian Police, while suspects are still languishing in Customs’ custody.

 

The Seme Customs Command also made a seizure of a truck load (400) bags of beans with DPV of N61,450,00.00 stockpiled in a warehouse at one of the exit corridors at the border. This item, according to the CAC, has been deposited in the government warehouse for safe keeping and would be sold to the public at a controlled rate when given the nod by the CGC , “considering the unfortunate loss of lives which necessitated a suspension but as soon as Modalities are put in place, we shall do it in an orderly manner.” He disclosed.

In the same vein, the surveillance the border by officers and men of the border Command also resulted in the interceptions of 400 ×30litres Jerry Cans of PMS equivalent of 12,000 litres, with a total DPV of N8,347,680 in the early hours of Saturday March 2, 2024, along the Creeks. Controller Bomodi further informed that the seized PMS will be auctioned in line with Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of sales of perishable items as directed by the Service.

 

Furthermore Bomodi said, ” These seizures come in the heels of successes in anti – Smuggling activities recorded in 2023, which saw 513 seizures of foreign parboiled rice, premium motor spirit, vehicles, general merchandise, drugs/narcotics and vegetable oil. Others were $6,000,000.00 fake currency, 15 fake international passports, 10 International Driver’s licenses and152 live birds and other endangered species. All with a Duty Paid Value of over 2.212 Billion Naira.”

 

On revenue generation, the Command’s henchman also disclosed that his Command was given a target of N7.875b in the current year. This according to him, represents an increase of over 400% in the collection, compared to the target of 2023.

This also translates to a monthly collectable revenue ofN656.258m.

Bomodi went to say his command collected N643,038,611.16.

According to him,“while in February, we collected N517,950,286.14, making a total of N1,160,988,897.30, this is about 88% of total expected revenue. The shortfall in expected collections can be attributed to a total aggregate decline in imports occasioned by the high exchange rate.”